UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov thinks Charles Oliveira will withdraw from his upcoming title fight against Islam Makhachev.
Oliveira, 32, looks to reclaim his lightweight title at UFC 280 on October 22 against Nurmagomedov's protege Makhachev when the pair meet in Abu Dhabi. The Brazilian was supposed to be making the third defence of the lightweight belt at the upcoming event, but he was stripped of the title after missing weight for his UFC 274 clash against Justin Gaethje in May, which he went on to win by first-round submission.
Nurmagomedov has a feeling that for whatever reason, Oliveira will pull out of UFC 280 to be replaced by Beneil Dariush. "I just think Charles Oliveira will not show up in Abu Dhabi and the UFC will replace Charles with Beneil Dariush," he tweeted. "Regardless of who the opponent will be, Islam Makhachev is on his way to becoming the best in the world." Dariush pulled out of his scheduled fight against Makhachev in February due to an ankle injury.
Who wins at UFC 280 next month - Charles Oliveira or Islam Makhachev? Let us know your prediction in the comments section below
Dariush is scheduled to compete against Mateusz Gamrot on the UFC 280 card and he claims the UFC will turn to him as a back up fighter for the main event in case Oliveira or Makhachev are forced out of the fight. “That’s what [my manager] Ali [Abdelaziz] told me, I was the backup for this. If something goes wrong, they would put me in," he told MMA Fighting.
"As far as preparing for Islam or Charles, you be as well-rounded as you can possibly be, in terms of striking, timing, wrestling, all that stuff. For three rounds, I just get to go nuts for three rounds. I can go as hard as I want. For five rounds, I’ll pace a little bit more. You get to enjoy your time in there if you really want to fight five rounds."
Oliveira has only pulled out of one fight in the last seven years, withdrawing from a scheduled fight with Dariush in October 2020 for undisclosed reasons. 'Do Bronx' has missed weight several times in his career, but most of those misses came when he was competing at 145lb.
The Brazilian has grown sick of comments made by Makhachev, Nurmagomedov and their team in the lead-up to UFC 280. Oliveira promises their "arrogance" will come round to haunt them, stating: "They're being arrogant and that's what will kill them. The arrogance from their manager, former fighters, their arrogance will kill them."
