Charles Oliveira believes beating Khabib Nurmagomedov's close friend Islam Makhachev will bring the legendary lightweight out of retirement.
Nurmagomedov was one of the greatest champions in the UFC's history, going 29-0 before his shock retirement in 2020. Despite multiple efforts from the promotion to get him back for one last fight, he has insisted he will honour his mother's wishes after she begged him to hang up the gloves following his father Abdulmanap's passing.
But Oliveira believes that he won't be able to help himself if Makhachev loses when he finally gets his shot at the gold. The Brazilian is technically not the current champion after missing weight for his last defence against Justin Gaethje by half-a-pound, but he is considered in spirit to be the title holder and his next bout will be for the belt.
