“Charles Oliveira knocked him out, and if I had won by decision, how would I fight for the title?” the Russian said at the press conference following the UFC on ESPN 52 event. “But I knocked him out faster than Charles, and he couldn’t move me like Charles did. I performed better than Oliveira. Charles already had his opportunity, so now it’s my time.”
“If I don’t get a title shot, then we’ll have to think about what to do next. But I hope they give me a title fight, that’s all.”
Former UFC lightweight champion, Charles Oliveira, became a top contender for the title this June, finishing Benil Dariush by technical knockout at the 4:10 mark of the first round, while Arman Tsarukyan knocked out the American in 64 seconds. Tsarukyan also fought Makhachev for three competitive rounds in 2019, losing to his compatriot by unanimous decision, while the Brazilian lost to the Russian by arm-triangle choke in a title fight last October.
Recall that the fight between Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira was supposed to headline UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi on October 21, however, two weeks before the fight, the Brazilian suffered a dissection and lost his title shot to Alexander Volkanovski, whom the Russian knocked out in the first round.