"Now he is fighting with a confidence about himself like he is superman" - Daniel Cormier gives major props to Charles Oliveira for his performances as a UFC lightweight champion
Daniel Cormier has weighed in on Charles Oliveira’s reign as the UFC lightweight champion. In a UFC 274 preview video on his YouTube channel, 'DC' lauded Oliveira for successfully rebounding from his previous UFC defeats.
Cormier referenced Oliveira’s last loss – a second-round TKO against Paul Felder at UFC 218 in December 2017 – and alluded that he's subsequently amassed a 10-fight unbeaten streak. Praising Oliveira for evolving into a truly well-rounded fighter, 'DC' stated:
“Greatest submission artist the UFC has ever seen, fantastic Muay Thai, power in both hands, and now he [Oliveira] is fighting with a confidence about himself like he is superman. I mean, dude got a big gold necklace that he wears now everywhere. Cat has to be almost six-foot tall. At 155, he’s massive. And he has the mindset now, of a champ.”
'DC' further added:
“Him winning that belt in Houston against Michael Chandler, dude was down and out. Back in the day, he would’ve packed up his lunch; see you guys, I’ll catch you on the next one. Nope. Got off his back, knocked Chandler out in about 30 seconds in the second round. New champ.”
With a second-round knockout, @CharlesDoBronxs makes a statement and gets the biggest win of his career! 🇧🇷
He is the new UFC lightweight champion! 🏆
#UFC262 https://t.co/DyNCJHZrRe
Cormier lauded Oliveira for rallying to win the vacant UFC lightweight title after almost getting knocked out by Michael Chandler at UFC 262 in May 2021. He noted that 'Do Bronx' silenced his doubters yet again by beating the winner of the July 2021 trilogy fight between Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor.
Dustin Poirier beat Conor McGregor and challenged Charles Oliveira for the belt at UFC 269 last December. Cormier recalled Poirier dropping the Brazilian in the early stages, only for ‘Do Bronx’ to bounce back and submit 'The Diamond' in round three.
Watch Daniel Cormier’s UFC 274 preview in the video below:
Chael Sonnen foresees a kickboxing match between Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje
In an edition of Beyond the Fight, Chael Sonnen broke down UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira’s upcoming second title defense, a fight against Justin Gaethje that’ll headline UFC 274 on May 7.
Sonnen suggested that with Oliveira being a widely-revered Brazilian-jiu-jitsu artist and Gaethje an NCAA Division I All-American wrestler, their fight will likely turn into a kickboxing match.
Sonnen insinuated that Justin Gaethje won’t take 'Do Bronx' to the ground due to the submission threat. Furthermore, he opined that Oliveira might be unable to take 'The Highlight' down due to the latter’s defensive wrestling skills:
"These two MMA stars are going to go out and have a kickboxing match... Do you think that Gaethje, for the first time in his career, is going to go out there and get a takedown against a pretty dangerous guy on his back?”
Watch Sonnen's full take in the video below: