"These guys just want attention" - Charles Oliveira responds to Justin Gaethje calling him a 'quitter'
Charles Oliveira has hit back at Justin Gaethje for repeatedly calling him a "quitter."
Gaethje said Dustin Poirier and himself were better than Oliveira. 'The Highlight' believes he deserved to fight for the vacant lightweight belt earlier this year instead of the current champion.
Here's what Justin Gaethje said about Charles Oliveira last month:
Justin Gaethje isn't convinced that Charles Oliveira is the best fighter at lightweight right now. đź‘€
Source, ESPN MMA: youtube.com/watch?v=60OtVC… https://t.co/rGIOrTzIwu
Speaking on MMA Fighting's Portuguese podcast Trocacao Franca, Oliveira responded by claiming Gaethje was seeking attention at his expense.
"I’m the same Charles that doesn’t talk, I lay low, but these guys just want attention. How do they seek for it? Gaethje hasn’t fought in what, a year? Everybody saw his last fight. What happens is that if you don’t fight, you have to talk. So he has to talk to get attention."
Charles Oliveira further spoke about how he plans on proving Justin Gaethje wrong when he faces Dustin Poirier at UFC 269 in December.
"You know when a guy needs to talk to be on the spotlight? To me, that’s what’s going on here. On December 11, Oliveira will be fighting Poirier and if God wants me to win and continue with this belt, these guys have to win, they have to fight. If they fight and win, they can come. Tell them to come try and see if I’ll quit."
Catch the full Portuguese podcast episode featuring Charles Oliveira below:
Gaethje is scheduled to face No.4-ranked lightweight contender Michael Chandler at UFC 268 on November 6.
Charles Oliveira will make his first title defense against Dustin Poirier at UFC 269
Khabib Nurmagomedov officially vacated the UFC lightweight championship in March this year. Charles Oliveira defeated Michael Chandler to claim the vacant belt at UFC 262 in May.
'Do Bronx' will now make his first title defense against No.1 contender Dustin Poirier at UFC 269 on December 11. Poirier is coming off a victory over Conor McGregor in July's UFC 264 main event.
Charles Oliveira vs. Dustin Poirier was initially expected to be the first choice for the vacant lightweight title earlier this year. However, 'The Diamond' decided to complete the trilogy with McGregor instead.
Here are the odds for Charles Oliveira vs. Dustin Poirier:
Charles Oliveira +125 (5/4)
Dustin Poirier -145 (20/29)
(odds via @betonline_ag) 🏆 #UFC269 https://t.co/c1ljjTrcz9
Oliveira and Poirier will now finally square off to determine the 155-pound king. The Brazilian champ has built a nine-fight winning streak since losing to Paul Felder at UFC 218 in December 2017. He currently holds a 31-8 record.
Meanwhile, 'The Diamond' is 28-6 in his MMA career and has held the interim lightweight title once in the past.