Charles Oliveira is looking to have a date with Islam Makhachev. With multiple title contenders making their case at lightweight, the former champion sounded quite resilient with his words. Oliveira was very close to getting his title fight. Fighting for a number 1 contender eliminator bout against Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 300, Oliveira lost. While this result pegged back his chances, an unfortunate injury to Tsarukyan had opened up the division.
In a recent statement, Oliveira stated that he has been around the fight business for quite a long time. Thus, he does deserve a second shot at the lightweight belt. And the Brazilian wants to do it during International Fight Week.
Oliveira said, “The UFC has a lot of guys who talk a big game. I can talk because I’ve been here for almost 15 years… I want to fight during International Fight Week, Makhachev too… UFC, let’s make this happen. This is the fight everyone wants to see.”
🚨 Charles Oliveira calls for a title fight against Islam Makhachev at #UFC317 during International Fight Week 👀
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) March 23, 2025
"The UFC has a lot of guys who talk a big game. I can talk because I've been here for almost 15 years…
I want to fight during International Fight Week, Makhachev… pic.twitter.com/VZjl2BWFkD
Well, Oliveira’s claims might not be that far-fetched. He has been looking quite sharp inside the octagon. His recent win against Michael Chandler was quite impressive, too. Meanwhile, with multiple athletes eyeing a championship fight, Jon Anik recently proposed a different name for the title fight.
Jon Anik Backs Justin Gaethje Vs. Islam Makhachev Fight
Jon Anik seems pretty much impressed by what Justin Gaethje has been doing recently. Apart from his unfortunate loss at UFC 300, Gaethje has been doing pretty well. Thus, after winning against Rafael Fiziev in his comeback fight, Gaethje made a strong statement. And supporting him is Jon Anik, who stated that a Justin Gaethje vs. Islam Makhachev fight will make a lot of sense.
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“The nature of this win for Gaethje and the fact that we haven’t seen that fight, to me promotionally, I would go in that direction,” Anik said.
Jon Anik thinks that Justin Gaethje should fight Islam Makhachev next pic.twitter.com/6Pu1igFCAZ
— Anik & Florian Podcast (@AnikFlorianPod) March 12, 2025
Anik also stated that Gaethje has done everything he can to obtain a title shot in the lightweight division. Thus, with multiple names emerging, which fighter ultimately gets the shot remains to be seen.
Also Read: Arman Tsarukyan Takes A Dig At Justin Gaethje Again, Proposes Lightweight Contender Fight
