Daniel Cormier explains why he gives Charles Oliveira the edge in fight against Justin Gaethje - "I've never seen anything like it"
Daniel Cormier thinks Charles Oliveira could be the favorite heading into his showdown with Justin Gaethje at UFC 274 as the Brazilian has more weapons in his arsenal.
OLIVEIRA VS. GAETHJE IS ON, per UFC president Dana White. Championship fight will take place May 7, location TBD. What a fight. And Still? And New? https://t.co/MJv2mMaqtK
Oliveira defeated Michael Chandler by TKO to win the vacant lightweight title at UFC 262 in May last year. 'Do Bronx' then followed it up with an impressive submission win over Dustin Poirier at UFC 269, picking up his tenth consecutive victory in the UFC.
During a recent episode of ESPN MMA's DC & RC Show, Cormier admitted that Gaethje has the knockout power and skills to capture the 155 lbs crown. However, he feels Oliveira has "more tools at his disposal." The former two-division champion said:
"Justin Gaethje has the ultimate equalizer. He can knock anybody silly. He can knock anybody out. He's got great leg kicks. He's got All-American wrestling but he never uses it. He only uses it in reverse to stay upright because he's such a savage... But when you look at it skill-for-skill, you feel like Charles Oliveira is the guy who has more tools at his disposal."
Cormier also praised the Brazilian for his tenacity, adding:
"He gets knocked down and starts stalking like the Terminator. I've never seen anything like it. He doesn't take his foot off the gas, and I think that has what has caused guys so many issues over the course of this title run."
Watch the latest episode of DC & RC below:
Justin Gaethje wants to take on Charles Oliveira in Brazil
The blockbuster clash between Justin Gaethje and Charles Oliveira is set to take place at UFC 274, but no venue has been finalized. Light heavyweight kingpin Glover Teixeira is also set to defend his crown against Jiří Procházka on the same card.
The show was reportedly set to take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, but those plans were scrapped for undisclosed reasons. During a recent interview with BT Sport, Gaethje stated that there is no better place to win the title than in Oliveira's home country, Brazil.
'The Highlight' said:
“Now that I've won and I got my title shot, I can go back to how it should be. I want to go down to Brazil; I want to fight in the chaos... If you go back and listen to my early interviews, I said I wanted to go to the enemy territory like Brazil and fight in that chaos. So them screaming I’m gonna die, 20,000 people, I am 100 percent confident that when I’m done, they’ll love me.”
Watch Justin Gaethje's interview with BT Sport below:
Justin Gaethje and Charles Oliveira are among the most exciting fighters in combat sports right now.
Gaethje is arguably the most entertaining fighter to watch on the UFC roster. 'The Highlight' has picked up 10 Fight of the Night/Performance of the Night bonuses during his time in the UFC, having fought just 9 times in the promotion.
Oliveira is the best finisher in UFC history. The Brazilian not only has the most finishes in the history of the promotion (18), but the most submissions (15) as well. Out of his 31 career wins, 19 have come by way of submission and 9 by way of KO/TKO. His current 10-fight win streak comprises eight finishes.
FOR LIGHTWEIGHT GOLD 
🏆 FOR LIGHTWEIGHT GOLD 🏆
Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje clash in a guaranteed title-fight banger at #UFC274.
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