Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight title after his next bout.
Oliveira is set to defend his BMF title Diego Lopes
at UFC 335 Dec. 12 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. In preparation for this bout, “do Bronx” has weighed in on the lightweight title picture and the reigning champion’s future Justin Gaethjewhom he defeated earlier.
Charles Oliveira sees Arman Tsarukyan as possible vacant title opponent if Justin Gaethje retires after UFC 335
In an interview with Sherdog, Oliveira acknowledged the uncertainty surrounding Gaethje’s future. He said the UFC needs to determine if “The Highlight” is going to defend his title. Gaethje has discussed retirement and a possible fight Conor McGregor.
“The first step is for the UFC to sit down with Gaethje and find out exactly what he’s going to do,” Oliveira told Sherdog’s Marcelo Alonso. “He says he won’t fight this year, but he would fight if it was against Conor. Then he starts talking about retirement. If I get past Diego, I think my name will be there and I believe I’ll be next for the undisputed title.”
Oliveira acknowledged this Arman Tsarukyan deserves the title as well and envisioned a rematch against “Batman” when Gaethje vacates the belt.
“Obviously Arman deserves it too,” added Oliveira. “But I think the first step is for the UFC to figure out if Gaethje is going to retire or keep fighting. If he doesn’t retire, it could be Arman or me against Gaethje. If he retires, me and Arman will fight for the vacant title.”
Oliveira also addressed the criticism surrounding his hard-fought victory Max Holloway was no match for the BMF title in his last match. The former UFC lightweight champion said he is not bothered by public opinion and is focused on winning. He also claimed that no one has neutralized Holloway as effectively as he has.
“Anyone who really understands fighting, with all due respect to Max, knows that what I did to him, nothing else has done,” added Oliveira. “I completely neutralized his game. So I don’t care what people say. At the end of the day, all I care about is whether my Sherdog record shows a win or a loss. I fight more strategically, more consciously and without doing anything crazy.”