"Uncle [Chael Sonnen] comes to me for advice" - UFC alum brags about predicting Charles Oliveira pulling out of Islam Makhachev fight rightly
Charles Oliveira withdrew from his rematch with Islam Makhachev due to an eye injury sustained during sparring just 10 days before the main event.
However, former UFC fighter Josh Thomson seemed to have foreseen this turn of events. Months ago, on an episode of his WEIGHING IN podcast, 'The Punk' shared his thoughts on the lightweight championship fight.
Thomson speculated that the UFC might have pressured Charles Oliveira into the fight due to Islam Makhachev's call-outs of other fighters.
"I wouldn't be surprised if Charles got forced into this fight by the UFC because Islam started calling out Leon [Edwards], started calling out other fighters, and [the UFC] were like, 'Hey, you're making us look bad.' They said, 'Hey Charles, take this fight.' I think if Charles is not ready mentally, I could see Charles pulling out of the fight maybe two weeks before."
Thomson's prediction proved accurate, and he didn't hesitate to boast about it on his social media platform, humorously mentioning that even 'Uncle Chael Sonnen' comes to him for advice in such situations.
He wrote:
"As humble as I can be, I’m always right. Uncle @ChaelSonnen comes to me for advice in these situations."
Check out his post below:
With Charles Oliveira's withdrawal, UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski has stepped in as the replacement fighter against Islam Makhachev. This match marks a rematch of their UFC 284 championship bout, which Makhachev won via decision.
Dana White addresses Charles Oliveira's UFC 294 Withdrawal
During a recent post-fight press conference, UFC head honcho Dana White commented on the surprising withdrawal of Charles Oliveira from UFC 294.
White shed light on the situation, explaining:
"He - round five of sparring last night before he's supposed to jump on a plane today - splits his eyebrow wide open and had it stitched up last night. Obviously, can't fly out there with that. You know what I mean? It would be one thing, too if they didn't call us. We would've had him go to a plastic surgeon that would have sowed it from the inside out, you know, get that thing done the right way."
White continued by noting the fighter's reluctance to inform the UFC of such incidents in a timely manner. He mentioned:
"These guys never call us like they should when something happens. They call us after they get it stitched up, but, on the flip side too, I could see him not wanting to risk it, getting a shot like this, and then, you know."
Check out Dana White's comments below: