SAO PAULO — Charles Oliveira isn't one to stir up trash talk before a mixed martial arts match, but he also doesn't listen to it.
The former UFC lightweight champion will face Arman Tsarukyan on the historic UFC 300 card on April 13th, and he had this to say about Tsarukyan: he is a one dimensional warrior. Tsarukyan downplayed Oliveira's impressive finishing stats, claiming that Oliveira is limited in his ability to get behind his opponent and defeat him with a rear-naked choke.
“People say what they want to say, right?” Oliveira said in an interview with MMA Fighting. “If he has this much and he has 16 submissions, [UFC] According to the record, everyone was from behind, right? And I think the knockout I had was not a knockout, but a submission. Their story is too bullish***. They called me a quitter, but I got knocked down and came forward and knocked him out. I also heard that he wasn't hungry and didn't need it anymore. He doesn't know how much I want to be champion again. ”
Oliveira laughed as the trash talk aimed at him “doesn't make any sense” and said he has “all the respect in the world” for Tsarukyan as his opponent.
“He's very tough and in good shape,” Oliveira said. “But we're talking about the players at the top of the division. We're not talking about anyone, so you need to calm down before you say anything. I'm number one in the division. I have the record for most submissions and most bonuses. If you look at my history, you'll see what I'm talking about.”
Oliveira bounced back from a title fight loss to Islam Makhachev at UFC 289 to knock out Benel Dariush, and Tsarukyan stopped Dariush the following December. 'De Bronx' has finished off his opponents in 31 of his 34 wins and will aim for the same result when he faces Tsarukian at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
“I'm an aggressive guy and I always walk forward, so it's impossible for me to walk backwards,” Oliveira said. “Arman knows that and says so. He said a lot of terrible things, but one thing he was right about is that I always aim to win, and that will always be the case. No. But if you look at my last fight with Beneil Darish, you can see how calm I was. I'm evolving, I'm training and evolving in the cage and on the mat here. I am.
“Of course I want to knock him out. I want him to submit. I want to win and I don't want to leave it to the judges. The worst thing that can happen is to leave it to the judges, so I'm going to do that all the time. Of course. , makes things happen very strategically. He's very tough, has good striking and good takedowns, but I'm 100 percent ready for this. I’m not worried about what it brings, I’m worried about what I can do. It’s all about me being happy and being bold and raising my hand.”
The Brazilian talent said he was “definitely going to win” and would then become “the next guy” to aim for the belt, with a rematch with Makhachev planned for later this year. However, Oliveira is hoping to change his mind if he is able to face Conor McGregor. Chute Boxe leader Diego Lima told MMA Fighting that he would choose to face an Irishman first, a sentiment echoed by Oliveira.
“When it comes to money, I would definitely follow Conor,” Oliveira said. “Everything needs to be discussed. When you sit down at the table and there's a contract, you say, 'Okay, okay, I want to win this.' Will I be the next one to win?’ … You have too much money in your bank account to live a good life, and yet you are fighting for the title. It makes no difference. ”
That being said, Oliveira doesn't think McGregor would agree to this matchup.
“Sometimes he posts something about me and then deletes it. So there's a spark. But he's not stupid. He'll never take this fight,” Oliveira said. “I don't think so, no. He thinks too much and has a good strategy. He only goes where he's sure he can win.”
