Former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira recalled his match with Islam Makhachev. ‘Do Bronx’ offered no excuses and admitted Makhachev was better than him.
Charles Oliveira suffered a devastating loss against Islam Makhachev in October at UFC 280. The Brazilian was on the rise, having defeated many top contenders via finishes during a 11 win streak. However, Makhachev submitted him quickly despite all that.
33-year-old was known for his BJJ skills. Many opponents refused to follow him to the ground whenever he would get knocked down. But, Makhachev just dove right into his guard and showcased his pressure passing.
Ultimately he submitted Oliveira via arm-triangle choke in the second round.
Oliveira can be seen very devastated following his loss as he looked pretty emotional backstage and throughout the post-fight press conference. He rarely spoke about that loss until recently.
During an interview with a Brazilian podcast, Oliveira reflected on his loss against Makhachev. He said that he hasn’t watched the replay of the match yet.
“Against Islam Makhachev, I didn’t feel any pressure. He was just better than me.I haven’t watched that fight back yet. It doesn’t make any difference to me. It wasn’t a bad night. It was just 15 bad minutes, 10 – 20 bad minutes.” Oliveira said.
“There is nothing else to say. You know I always tell the truth. I already thought about it, but there is no real explanation. I wouldn’t change anything in a rematch, I know how much I trained. As far as the right goes, what can I say other than that.”
Oliveira may not have a technical answer on why he lost, but he admitted that he was outdone.
He added, “Islam [Makhachev] was better than me. I wouldn’t change the camp or the weight cut. I wouldn’t change absolutely anything. I don’t know exactly what happened, but Islam was better than me on that night.”
Islam Makhachev offered Oliveira an immediate rematch a while back. However, as per Oliveira’s coach, he refused and chose to take a break due to being pretty active during his reign as a champion.
The 33-year-old had 4 outings in just 17 months with around 8 to 10 weeks of training in a camp.