"Ask the people, who is the champion?" - Fans acknowledge Charles Oliveira as the lightweight king with thunderous applause at UFC 280 press conference
Charles Oliveira is regarded by many as the unofficial UFC lightweight champion. The Brazilian never lost the title inside the octagon but was stripped of it after missing weight by 0.5lbs ahead of his lightweight title clash against Justin Gaethje at UFC 274.
Oliveira will fight for the currently vacant title at UFC 280 on October 22 and will be going up against a formidable opponent in Islam Makhachev.
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#UFC280 IS INSANEEEEEEEEEE 😱🤩🔥
Fight Island. Abu Dhabi. October 22. Live on BT Sport 🏝 https://t.co/ZwdqHO3C6c
During a press conference for the event, a journalist asked 'do Bronx' how he felt about Michael Bisping referring to him as the lightweight champ, although he's technically a former champion.
Bisping immediately reiterated his initial statement, claiming that Oliveira is indeed the champ. The Brazilian, however, urged the reporter to ask fans who their champion is. He said (via translator):
"Ask the people, who is the champion?"
Oliveira's response to the question was met with loud cheers from fans, who seemed to agree that Oliveira is the uncrowned champion.
This makes me so happy https://t.co/2ce5MmQJ3c
Watch highlights from the UFC 280 press conference below:
Charles Oliveira unafraid to grapple with Islam Makhachev at UFC 280
Charles Oliveira is confident in his own grappling skills and will be unafraid to take the fight to the ground against Islam Makhachev at UFC 280. Makhachev is known for his world-class grappling and thoroughly dominates opponents once the fight gets to the ground.
Oliveira, however, is no slouch on the ground either and can hold his own when it comes to grappling as he's shown on several occasions in the past. The 32-year-old believes that Makahchev will have a tough time out-grappling him since he's only fought good strikers thus far.
If the fight stays on the feet, Oliveira feels he has the edge and even if it goes to the ground, the Brazilian claims he's well-equipped to put his opponent away. During an appearance on MMA Fighting's Trocação Franca podcast, Charles Oliveira said:
"Every guy Islam fought was a striker and he took them down, and I went toe to toe with every guy I fought and only took them down to make things happen after I hurt them on the feet. Islam is fighting the worst problem of the division, Charles Oliveira."
He added:
“Want to start the fight on the ground? I’ll start playing guard. It won’t make any difference to me. Again, I’m telling everyone this, I’m the division’s biggest problem and you’re not understanding. I don’t care who it is and when it is. If you want to trade on the feet, come for it, I have firepower in my hands. If you want to take me down, do it."