"It's the champion" - Henry Cejudo believes Charles Oliveira is the only guy who can defeat Islam Makhachev in the lightweight division
On a recent episode of The Triple C & Schmo Show, Henry Cejudo insisted that lightweight champion Charles Oliveira may be the only 155er that can beat Islam Makhachev.
'Do Bronx' is considered by many to have the perfect fighting style to nullify Makhachev. He poses a serious threat with his slick striking and high-level submission game.
Whilst hyping up Makhachev, The Schmo questioned whether anybody in the division has what it takes to beat the Russian, prompting Cejudo to say:
"The only guy that could really do it is the champion, Charles 'Do Bronx'. He's the only guy that has that style to beat him because we saw what Khabib did to Gaethje."
Despite being all praise for Makhachev, 'Triple C' still believes Oliveira will be too much for the 30-year-old if the two ever do meet in the octagon:
"From what I hear from a lot of people with Islam, that even his top game is even better than Khabib's. Khabib himself edifies this too like you wouldn't believe, but Charles 'Do Bronx' is, that dude's lethal man. He's well-rounded, he doesn't mind being on his back."
Islam Makhachev is set to headline UFC Fight Night 202 alongside the short-notice replacement, Bobby Green. In a classic striker vs. grappler matchup, the Dagestani is widely viewed as the heavy favorite leading into the fight.
Check out Henry Cejudo's thoughts on The Triple C & Schmo Show, below:
Charles Oliveira's career resurgence
Currently carrying a 10-fight win-streak, Charles Oliveira is known for being an MMA success story. The 155 titleholder had a rough start to life in the UFC, suffering four losses and one no-contest in his first nine fights with the promotion.
The Brazilian was commonly known as a good fighter who would never reach the elite level. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt proved the doubters wrong after moving up a weightclass from featherweight, going 11-1 in that time and ultimately earning himself UFC gold.
Serving as the co-main event at UFC 274 on May 7, Charles Oliveira will be hoping to make his second successful defense of the lightweight title when he welcomes Justin Gaethje into the octagon.
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Date: May 7th Location: TBD
“Riot canceled” - @Jon_Anik 🇺🇸🥇🌎 Date: May 7th Location: TBD https://t.co/BjsElHaRrn