Charles Oliveira has been compared favourable to Khabib Nurmagomedov by fans after accepting four title fights in under two years.
Oliveira was stripped of his 155lb crown earlier this year after missing weight for his title defence against Justin Gaethje. The Brazilian went on to dominate his rival and submit the American, to put himself in pole position to fight for the vacant title.
After losing his title and vowing to regain it this year, Oliveira will now share the octagon with new challenger Islam Makhachev in Abu Dhabi on October 22 at UFC 280. This will be Oliveira's fourth title fight in the space of a year and a half, and fans have been impressed with Oliveira's activity.
One commented: "Khabib could never." Another agreed: "He did more in a year than Khabib did in his whole entire run as a champion." A fan added: "Khabib fought three times in three years while Oliveira has fought Michael Chandler, Dustin Poirier, Justin Gaethje and now Islam Makhachev. One fan believes Oliveira is still the champion: "The champion we want, the champion we need, and the champion we have."
Another fan believes Oliveira needs to stop receiving hate: "My boy is a massive problem. Tell everyone to stop hating on him." One fan agreed: "The champion has a name and it is Charles Oliveira." One fan believes Oliveira's name will go down in history: "Win this fight and Charles is undeniably the best lightweight in the history of the UFC. And also pound-for-pound top three, no doubt about it."
Oliveira has recorded the most submissions in history and has recorded finishes against his three previous challengers in Poirier, Chandler and Gaethje. His next test will likely come as one of his toughest with Nurmagomedov's protege Makhachev also notorious for his elite ground game and wrestling.
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Nurmagomedov is considered one of the greatest fighters of all time having retired with no defeats to his name, ending with a victory over Gaethje, after defending his title against Poirier and McGregor consecutively in the space of four years. The Russian star is likely to be heavily involved in the build-up despite being retired from the promotion, as he plans to assist his close friend in preparations for the meeting.
Oliveira has also tried to involved Nurmagomedov within the storyline of the clash, by suggesting he would be able to lure Nurmagomedov out of retirement and into a mega-fight. “I’ll beat him," Oliveira told Ag Fight of his chances against Makhachev, before explaining his ultimate plan. "Who knows, maybe you [Nurmagomedov] can come out of retirement and come too?
“He was champion, 29 wins in a row, and never said anything. He always sold the fight in a good way, really damn well, and today he is always talking a lot. And if it’s to talk, I’m going to say it; I’ll beat Islam Makhachev and then challenge Khabib to come back from retirement."
