UFC 280: Charles Oliveira hopes to continue extraordinary run with win over Islam Makhachev
Charles Oliveira shrugged when apprised of the comment that coach Javier Mendez made to Submission Radio about Islam Makhachev. Oliveira and Makhachev will meet on Saturday (2 p.m. ET, ESPN+ PPV) at Etihad Arena in the main event of UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
The lightweight division has long been one of the best, not only in the UFC but in all of MMA. Mendez has coached a man, Khabib Nurmagomedov, whom many believe not only to be the best lightweight ever, but the best pound-for-pound fighter of all time.
So it was a bit surprising to hear Mendez's comments about Makhachev given the depth and quality there has been in the division. Mendez has coached both Makhachev and Nurmagomedov at AKA in San Jose, California, and is uniquely positioned to compare them.
And while it's coming before a fight and Mendez could well be trying to buoy his man's confidence, his words about Makhachev were striking nonetheless.
"You don’t know what you’re dealing with until you’re dealing with him,” Mendez said in an interview with Submission Radio. “That’s what everybody who’s dealt with Islam, they thought they could do better, until they get in there and they didn’t. He is so well-rounded. I am going on record saying as the lightweight, he is hands down the No. 1 of all time, the best in all areas.
“No. 1 of all time, Islam Makhachev. Best defense, best striking, best everywhere, the best all-around athlete. Way, way back in the day I thought it was Frank Shamrock who was the best well-rounded athlete, and he was in all divisions. But in the lightweight division, for me, the person that’s the best-rounded in every single area is Islam Makhachev."
Oliveira has an argument, and a solid one at that, to make that he's the best. He hasn't lost since 2017 and during his current 11-fight winning streak, he's beaten the likes of Kevin Lee, Tony Ferguson, Michael Chandler, Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje.
Go 5-for-5 with four finishes against that group and it's pretty much guaranteed you're one of the greatest of all time. Oliveira generally doesn't get the attention that Nurmagomedov received, but he's hardly phased.
"Coaches say what they need to say to build up their fighters," Oliveira told Yahoo Sports. "But you know and I know that what the coaches say doesn't matter when [the bell rings]. Khabib is retired and so Islam is their big guy. He's a great athlete and he's on a nice winning streak. I respect him. But we'll see what happens on [Saturday]."
Oliveira's streak, though, is hard to ignore. He's not only beating the best of the best, but he's making them tap their submission.
That is impressive and one of the things that can't be overlooked. UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping thinks with a win over Makhachev, Oliveira will have reached the promised land.
"Greatest lightweight of all time? I think if Charles beats Islam this weekend, I think that belongs to Charles now,” Bisping said on his YouTube channel. “I really do. I think he will have surpassed [Nurmagomedov] simply because he’s taken out all the top contenders. And it’s not Khabib’s fault, but you cannot deny the numbers, the momentum, the history that Oliveira’s making."
Oliveira is tied with the now-retired Donald Cerrone for first with most performance bonuses in UFC history with 18. Oliveira has chalked up 12 Performance of the Night awards, as well as three Fight of the Night honors and three Submission of the Night bonuses.
But that's just one of many records for Oliveira. With 19, he has the most finishes in UFC history and with 16, he's scored the most submissions. He's second with 40 submission attempts, fifth with 21 wins and ninth with 30 fights.
This isn't a guy who just came out of nowhere. He's been at or near the top for a long time.
Most opponents aren't eager to grapple with Makhachev, whose wrestling is elite. But UFC featherweight champion Alex Volkanovski, the pound-for-pound king, thinks that Oliveira will be content to do just that.
"I don't think Charles would be that scared of him on the ground, which is probably a really good thing for Charles," Volkanovski, who is serving as the main event's backup fighter, told Yahoo Sports. "I do believe Islam controls Charles, though. I think the wrestling will be the factor. But the fact that Charles will invite him to the ground and try to wrap things up as he's going to the ground, he ain't going to be so scared. 'Oh, I need to get away,' and then put himself in positions where Islam can climb him and then just control him and have him on the bottom and keep him so jammed that he can't move.
"I think as he's taking him down, he's the type of guy to jump on a submission, jump on his back to pull guard, which is where he's going to be dangerous. I guarantee you, this here's a good example, if Charles falls to the mat and he's on his back ready to pull guard, I don't know if Islam goes in there. I don't know if Islam is going to approach the ground that way. I think he would rather Charles get up, grab a hold of Charles, and bring him down so when he gets him down he's in control of the legs, the hips, controlling all that type of stuff so he won't even give him a chance to throw up crazy stuff."
Oliveira said he's prepared to win the fight wherever he needs to, whether that's by keeping it standing or using his jiu-jitsu. It's MMA, he said, and an elite fighter needs to be versatile.
He's also not too upset about a lack of respect he's getting in some corners. And while this fight is for the vacant title since Oliveira was stripped of his belt for missing weight in a controversial manner before his fight with Gaethje, Oliveira wants one point known.
"They can say what they want, but the lightweight champion has a name, and it's Charles Oliveira," he said.
