Uncrowned king Charles Oliveira sent a message to UFC lightweights who may have underestimated him again before UFC 274.
“This message is for the division. “I know where my origins are, where I am and where I want to go,” Oliveira said via translator following his spectacular submission of Justin Gaethje in round one. I’m an enlightened man, who is also focused.
“As a message to the division: You can knock me down, but I’m going to keep on pushing forward.”
Oliveira took a big knock even before he stepped into the octagon when he stepped onto the official UFC 274 scale and was ordered to give up his belt on fight night. A half-pound overage left him the No. 1 contender despite his win over Justin Gaethje, the third come-from-behind finish in what would have been his second title defense.
“We were all sure that we actually made weight on Thursday, so it’s in our hands – you’re just not going to take that away from us,” Oliveira said. “I went into the octagon today to defend my title.
“We’re going to defend the title. It doesn’t matter if I get it back. Charles Oliveira is the champion. We all know .”
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After Oliveira won, potential contenders quickly stepped up, including Michael Chandler who beat Tony Ferguson in highlights-reel style and cut a WWE promo featuring Conor McGregor (the target of the official champ’s postfight callout).
“I said upstairs that Conor McGregor would be a good fight,” Oliveira said of his in-octagon challenge to “Notorious.” “But you know, when I was seventh in the rankings, I called them all out, and none of them paid attention to me. So let the matchmakers do their thing. Let me choose my team. Let my team fight to defeat me .”
Gaethje was a former interim champ and didn’t have to fight hard for another title shot when Khabib Nurmagomedov, an undefeated champion, gave up his belt after his retirement. A “Fight of the Year” against Chandler put him back in the No. 1 position, and he confidently predicted he would make Oliveira quit. It looked as if Gaethe was right when he dropped Oliveira so early.
But it was all part of the plan for “Do Bronx.”
“He is a man who pushes ahead, and I always push for forward, so I was sure this would happen,” Oliveira stated. “I’m like a war tank – I keep on moving forward. It was obvious that I would be hit. He was certain to be hit. But … who wants it more? The only thing that mattered was who desired it the most.
” I am now enlightened and Charles Oliveira is my champion. That wasn’t going to change.”
Beltless as he may be for now, Oliveira is approaching his current status the same as before. Whomever he faces next, he will pursue the win as if it was destined.
“It’s not going to change anything,” he said. Charles Oliveira is the champion. I will keep pushing for this title and continue to push. It’s not my intention to win a title new – it’s mine to keep.
