Charles Oliveira is in full-on beast mode, and he’s got his eyes locked on the biggest fish in the lightweight pond—none of which include Ilia Topuria, at least not yet. Fresh off a banger of a Fight of the Night win against Michael Chandler at UFC 309, “Do Bronx” sat down with ABC MMA to spill the tea on what’s next. And let me tell you, this man isn’t here to mess around with side quests—he’s gunning for the throne.
Oliveira’s been there, done that with lightweight champ Islam Makhachev, eating a tough second-round submission loss at UFC 280. But you know what they say: what doesn’t kill you makes you hungrier. Now, he’s itching to dance with Makhachev again and snatch that 155-pound belt back. Meanwhile, featherweight king Ilia Topuria—who’s apparently ditching his 145-pound crown to climb the lightweight ladder—has been tossing Oliveira’s name around like it’s a stepping stone to Makhachev. Oliveira? He’s not buying the hype.
“I think there are a lot of things,” Oliveira said in Portuguese (translation via ABC MMA). “A lot of people are saying a lot of things. But I’m looking for a title, and today’s champion is Islam Makhachev. So, Topuria is a very tough guy. He deserves all the respect in the world. But right now, I don’t see it as a big fight. And if I’m looking for a title, well, I have to fight Makhachev in order to win and become champion again.” Boom. Straight to the point, no fluff—classic Oliveira.
Oh, and get this: he’s so confident he even threw out there in another chat that if he *did* step into the cage with Topuria, he’d knock “El Matador” out cold. Ice in his veins, right? Apparently, something Oliveira said lit a fire under Topuria, because the guy hopped on social media and told him to “stay quiet.” Shots fired! Topuria’s riding high on an 8-0 UFC streak, capped with jaw-dropping KOs over featherweight royalty Max Holloway and Alexander Volkanovski. The dude’s dreaming of two-division glory, but Oliveira’s over here like, “Not on my watch, kid.”
So, while Topuria’s plotting his lightweight takeover, Oliveira’s keeping it real: he’s not here for warm-up acts—he wants the main event, the rematch, the gold. And honestly, with his track record, who’s gonna argue with that?
