"He has the same will that I have, maybe even more" - Charles Oliveira names the only fighter who shook him during UFC face-offs
Charles Oliveira has been in several wars inside the octagon. According to 'do Bronx,' face-offs between fighters during ceremonial weigh-ins are an essential aspect of fights. He believes fighters can learn a lot about their opponents while simply staring into their eyes and gauging their body language during the face-offs.
Oliveira revealed that the only fighter who fazed him during the face-off ahead of a fight is Frankie Edgar. Edgar and Oliveira locked horns at UFC 162 back in 2013 when 'The Answer' emerged victorious via unanimous decision. Oliveira said that during the face-off, he felt that Edgar had the same will to win that he had, or maybe even more.
Frankie Edgar vs Charles Oliveira was 🔥🔥 @FrankieEdgar certified savage https://t.co/xncbzaUMp6
He also admitted that Edgar was the smarter fighter between them at the time. During a recent appearance on the Brazilian podcast PodPah, Oliveira said:
"Of all the fighters I've faced, I lost this fight to Frankie Edgar via decision. When I went down, I said, 'F**k, he has the same will that I have, maybe even more.' And it was a war. I lost via decision. He was smarter than me." (Translation courtesy - Brazilian MMA Fighters on YouTube.)
Watch the highlights from the podcast below:
Charles Oliveira claims "arrogance" will lead to Islam Makhachev's downfall at UFC 280; Khabib Nurmagomedov responds
Khabib Nurmagomedov has responded to Charles Oliveira's claim that the Russian fighter and his teammate Islam Makhachev's arrogance is going to cause the latter's downfall in their upcoming fight. Makhachev and Oliveira are set to headline the upcoming UFC 280 pay-per-view on October 22.
Your official #UFC280 poster has dropped 🏝
This card is INSANE 🤩🔥 https://t.co/EjxUodV0o5
Nurmagomedov previously claimed that Makahchev is likely to finish the fight quickly and that made Oliveira feel like he's being underestimated by 'The Eagle.' In response to Oliveira's claims, Nurmagomedov said he's simply confident about Makhachev beating the Brazilian and there was no arrogance involved in that.
Nurmagomedov further added that Oliveira made such comments probably because he is feeling the pressure heading into the lightweight title clash with Makhachev. During a recent Eagle FC event, the undefeated former fighter said:
"If we say we want to finish the fight early, I don't see any arrogance in that... I don't see any kind of arrogance here. I simply think he's starting to feel the pressure of the fight."