"Right now, yeah" - John McCarthy predicts winner of Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev
![Islam Makhachev (left), John McCarthy (center), Charles Oliveira (right) [Images courtesy @ufc & @johnmccarthymma on Instagram]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2022/05/df4b6-16523574049885-1920.jpg?w=500)
John McCarthy believes Charles Oliveira will be victorious should he fight Islam Makhachev right now. The two lightweights seem destined to meet inside the octagon.
Charles Oliveira missed weight and was stripped of the title at UFC 274. The Brazilian still went on to defeat Justin Gaethje and confirmed himself as the No.1 contender for the vacant title. Many believe that his next fight should be against Islam Makhachev.
Speaking on the WEIGHING IN podcast, John McCarthy and co-host Josh Thomson discussed the potential matchup between the two fighters. Despite the Russian's dominant appearances in the octagon, McCarthy feels Charles Oliveira will walk away the winner:
"Right now, yeah... There is a big difference between the Charles that fought Kevin Lee in 2019 compared to the Charles now. There's even a difference even between that and the Charles that beat Justin Gaethje the other night. The confidence. He believes in himself, he believes in his ability. He put himself in positions to stand with Gaethje and find the openings when Gaethje dipped his head down."
Josh Thomson disagreed with McCarthy. The former UFC lightweight stated that he's worked and trained with Islam Makhachev and feels the Russian has a great chance because Oliveira has not fought many submission wrestlers:
"I'm not gonna say that Islam can sub him. I'll admit that Charles is fighting right now at a level no one else is able to fight at... It really comes down to the fact that I've trained with Islam. I'm not disrespecting Charles at all. He's on another level to everyone else in that division. Look at the guys he has fought, none of them, none of them are submission guys. Islam is."
The two lightweights are on impressive win streaks inside the octagon. Oliveira extended his unbeaten run to 11 fights after defeating Justin Gaethje. Makhachev himself boasts an impressive 10-fight win streak. A bout between the two seems inevitable, but whether it is the next fight for the lightweight title is still to be decided.
Watch the latest episode of the WEIGHING IN podcast with John McCarthy and Josh Thomson here:
Charles Oliveira wants to break more UFC records and fight twice in one night
Breaking records is no strange feat for Charles Oliveira. The former lightweight champion is held in extremely high regard and is almost a guaranteed future UFC Hall of Famer.
'Do Bronx' holds multiple records inside the UFC octagon. He is tied with UFC legend Donald Cerrone for most post-fight performance bonuses (18). His accomplishments so far have been a testament to his skill and ability to finish a fight. Oliveira has the record for the most UFC finishes (19) and the most submission victories (16) in the organization's history.
His recent success has prompted him to send a message to Dana White on social media. The Brazilian star has asked to break another record. Oliveira believes he can KO Conor McGregor and submit Nate Diaz on the same night.
Just for the record, I like to break records and I want to break another one... Fighting twice in same night. I can knock Conor out, and make Dias tap.
What do you think @danawhite?
While the post may be in good fun, Charles Oliveira's accomplishments inside the octagon would certainly have fans believe he could do it.
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