Charles Oliveira picks Islam Makhachev to beat Dustin Poirier and Arman Tsarukyan.
Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) defends his lightweight title against Poirier (30-8 MMA, 22-7 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 302 (pay-per-view/ESPN2/ESPN+) headliner at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
Oliveira (34-10 MMA, 22-10 UFC) fought both Makhachev and Poirier before. “Do Bronx” choked out Poirier to retain his lightweight title at UFC 269 and was dropped and submitted in his vacant title fight against Makhachev at UFC 280.
“Every striker that faces Islam is going to be the same thing: (Makhachev) will take you down and have bigger chances at winning,” Oliveira told MMA Fighting. “But we’re talking about MMA, and one hand, one strike that lands can definitely get you the victory.
“Dustin Poirier has shown that in his last fight, he’s shown that many times already. He has heavy hands and hits hard, so he definitely can knock him out, but I think Islam remains as champion.”
Tsarukyan (22-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC), who defeated Oliveira by split decision at UFC 300 in April, was the original No. 1 contender before he declined the short-notice opportunity. Oliveira doesn’t think he has the skill set to beat Makhachev in a rematch.
“Arman is a guy that takes you down and holds you there the entire time,” Oliveira said. “No way. It’s not a fight he can win. Of course, I’ve just said this and I can’t backtrack, we’re talking about MMA, and it’s very unpredictable.
“A guy closes his eyes and throws a hand that lands, you’re knocked out. He throws a kick that lands, you shoot for a takedown and end up in a submission. MMA is unpredictable, but I think Islam is way more experienced, has more focus, more hunger, and is much stronger than Arman.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 302.
