Charles Oliveira might not have his title right now but there’s no doubt he’s the best lightweight in the world.
A controversial weigh in where he was a half-pound overweight cost him his title, but he put on an amazing performance and finished Justin Gaethje at the end of the first round.
The fight was not over. However, there was continuous action starting at the beginning. Oliviera scored a knockdown that saw him jump on Gaethje and lock on to a back naked choke submission. The stoppage came at 3:22 in the opening round as Oliveira wins but the UFC lightweight title remains vacant at this time.
“There’s something wrong here,” Oliveira said afterwards. “The champion’s name is Charles Oliveira. You took my belt off me Thursday after I gained weight. I’m a problem for the entire division. I am the champion. It is my title. This should be .”
Oliveira was the one who set the tone with his punches that bashed Gaethje immediately and placed him on wobbly feet. But that initial success quickly went sour. With Oliveira surging, Gaethje started snapping off calf kicks and then going back up top with his powerful punches.
That’s when Gaethje hit Oliveira with a hard right elbow. However, the former lightweight champion did not want to be beaten by the noted submission expert.
It was back on the feet when another hard right hook snapped Oliviera’s head around and put him back on the ground again but Gaethje still had no desire to play with fire by testing his grappling against the Brazilian.
The lightweights continued trading blows but Oliveira started to connect with better accuracy as Gaethje was winging huge, wild shots as he attempted to score the knockout. With Gaethje on his heels, Oliveira unloaded a massive straight punch that floored the Arizona native and slumped him down to the ground.
Oliveira, unlike his opponent, jumped at the chance to get to the canvas and quickly took control of the back. He then began to look for the finish. Oliveira managed to control Gaethje and slip under his chin, securing the submission.
Gaethje tried his hardest to resist the hands, but Oliveira locked the choke so there was no escape.
That’s when the tap came as Oliveira — with blood still streaming down the side of his face — jumped up to celebrate the win even if he won’t be called UFC champion for now.
Following the fight, Oliveira immediately spoke to UFC president Dana White, who told him that he’ll be the No. 1 He will be competing for the lightweight title, regardless of who he faces. “Do Bronx,” however, had an idea.
“Hey, Dana White, you said I don’t care put anybody in front of me,” Oliveira shouted. “I’m not going to choose. Conor McGregor, are you coming up or are you going to run away?”
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