Charles Oliveira heads into UFC 269 with a point to prove. He is the undisputed UFC lightweight champion and he wants to prove it against Dustin Poirier.
Charles Oliveria is widely recognized as one of the best submission artists in UFC history. Yet he still feels a lack of respect heading into UFC 269.
“Someone else will show up when I win and be like, ‘Oh, you have to beat this one now, you have to beat that one,’” Oliveira said MMA Fighting’s Portuguese-language podcast Trocação Franca . “We’ll keep on fighting, keep on making history, staying focused and centered. Putting on great fights. I wanted to fight the best, and I’ve been doing that.
“No one has such a gigantic winning streak like me, nine in a row with only one decision — and you all saw it, you can’t debate it. Many people say I have to beat Dustin to prove I’m the champion. I am the champion. I won [the belt] earlier this year and I’ll defend my belt now.”
Charles Oliveira points out the past fights of both men to help figure out where he has the biggest advantage. UFC 269 will be Oliveira's opportunity to prove that he is no match on the ground.
“On [December] 11, we’ll be there to prove who’s best and who’s not the best,” Oliveira said. “There’s not much to say. We’ll only know when we face each other. I trust myself, I believe myself. I think I have way more weapons than him. All you guys that think [he’s No. 1], watch his last fight and watch my last fight, see what I’m good at and what he’s good at, and match it all up to see what happens.
“Strikers took him down way too easily, and you know what happens if I take him down. If he trades on the feet with me, you know I’m hitting hard, brother. It will be fire on the 11th. I have firepower in my hands, I have my jiu-jitsu. I respect him a lot, but I want to remain champion, I want to keep this belt here. I couldn’t care less what others say or criticize. It’s about time I take all that inside my head and look at what people say on Instagram.”
UFC 269 takes place on December 11 and will be Charles Oliveira's opportunity to prove the critics wrong. Dustin Poirier will look to avenge his loss against Khabib Nurmagomedov and finally become UFC champion.
Follow Us
Subscribe