"You're making us look bad" - Islam Makhachev's former teammate wonders if the UFC forced Charles Oliveira to accept the Abu Dhabi matchup
Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev are set to face off later this year in an epic rematch of their UFC 280 clash. The pair are scheduled to headline the UFC 294 card in October, but one of Makhachev's former teammates believes the fight may not come to fruition.
Josh Thomson, a former Strikeforce champion and UFC fighter, trained with Makhachev for a number of years at the renowned American Kickboxing Academy. Thomson now hosts an MMA podcast alongside 'Big' John McCarthy, where he shared his thoughts on the UFC 294 main event.
Several weeks ago, Charles Oliveira was quoted saying that he won't be ready to fight before November or December. This makes Josh Thomson feel that the UFC may have forced 'do Bronx' to accept the bout with Islam Makhachev.
During a recent episode of the WEIGHING IN podcast, Thomson said:
"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."
Watch the video below from 53:15:
Josh Thomson noted that a loss for Charles Oliveira at UFC 294 would likely be the end of his title hopes until a new champion comes along. Depending on the nature of their bout, two losses to Islam Makhachev would make a third fight hard to sell to fans, despite Oliveira's popularity in the MMA world.
Islam Makhachev's coach speculates on Charles Oliveira's mindset after accepting UFC 294 fight
In just a matter of days, Charles Oliveira did a complete 180-degree turn on his statement that he would not be ready to face Islam Makhachev in October at UFC 294.
Now Makhachev's coach, Javier Mendez, has shared his thoughts on the mindset change that 'do Bronx' went through prior to accepting the Abu Dhabi matchup.
Mendez believes that Charles Oliveira initially may have wanted to face Makhachev in Brazil but realized that a fight in the champion's backyard would make more of a statement should he win.
Javier Mendez recently spoke to Mike Bohn of MMA Junkie and said:
"It may be his only opportunity [to fight for the title]. Charles may go, 'You know what, I'm the champion and I want to prove it. So, I'm gonna come to your territory again. I lost my title to you [in Abu Dhabi], let me try to win my title from you [in Abu Dhabi].'"
Watch the video below:
Islam Makhachev’s coach Javier Mendez supports a callout of Leon Edwards for #UFC294 – if Volkanovski & Oliveira are unavailable.
@MikeBohn's interview: tinyurl.com/MendezIslam pic.twitter.com/haugqQOZ1K