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UFC 280 is a month away. Charles Oliveira will face Islam Makhachev in one of the most highly anticipated matchups of 2022. Unfortunately, missing weight for his UFC 274 matchup against Justin Gaethje led to 'do Bronx' being stripped of the UFC lightweight championship.
Regardless, UFC fans still recognize Charles Oliveira as the 155 lbs weight class' reigning kingpin. His success inside the octagon has led many to compare him to retired lightweight great Khabib Nurmagomedov. The undefeated Russian is widely regarded as the greatest lightweight in MMA history despite some asserting that B.J. Penn still reigns supreme as the all-time great 155'er.
Oliveira has proved to be an exciting fighter to watch. There is no dismissing the argument that he might have already matched Nurmagomedov's accomplishments in the cage.
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However, should the Brazilian overcome Islam Makhachev, a close friend and training partner of Nurmagomedov's, he will have earned the right to declare himself the greatest lightweight in history and this list explores five reasons why.
#5. Charles Oliveira is the greatest submission specialist in UFC lightweight history
There are only two lightweights against whom Charles Oliveira must prove his mettle to establish his claim as the greatest 155'er of all time. Khabib Nurmagomedov and B.J. Penn are widely regarded as the greatest lightweights in UFC and MMA history.
Both fighters were lauded for their grappling. Nurmagomedov is a two-time Combat Sambo world champion, while Penn is a fifth-degree Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt.
The easiest statistic to determine how effective a fighter is as a grappler is by examining how many submission victories they have. B.J. Penn has three submission wins in UFC lightweight history over Kenny Florian, Joe Stevenson and Jens Pulver.
Meanwhile, Nurmagomedov has five submission wins inside the octagon over Kamal Shalorus, Michael Johnson, Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje.
While Kenny Florian and Jens Pulver are quality submission wins for Penn due to their grappling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt credentials, Nurmagomedov's submission wins require more scrutiny. The only black belt the Russian defeated was Dustin Poirier. None of his other foes were noteworthy grapplers, especially the likes of Justin Gaethje and Michael Johnson.
By comparison, Charles Oliveira has ten submission wins in the UFC's 155 lbs weight class.
Among those wins are Dustin Poirier, Jim Miller and Kevin Lee, two of whom are black belts and one of whom is a high-level wrestler. Oliveira has more submissions and has defeated more high-level grapplers than both Penn and Nurmagomedov, both of whom are revered for their grappling.
If Oliveira defeats Islam Makhachev by submission at UFC 280, he will add another high-level grappler to his list of victims.
#4. Charles Oliveira's win streak is more impressive than Khabib Nurmagomedov's
As it stands, Charles Oliveira is at the helm of an 11-fight win streak. Khabib Nurmagomedov, by contrast, owns a 13-fight win streak, which is the record for the longest win streak in UFC lightweight history. At UFC 280, Oliveira will have the opportunity to edge closer to his Russian rival's record.
While being a win closer to 'The Eagle's win streak might initially seem like nothing of note, Charles Oliveira's streak has already surpassed Nurmagomedov's in many ways. A glimpse at both fighters' respective wins reveals a disparity between the level of opponents they both faced.
Nurmagomedov faced Rafael dos Anjos, Michael Johnson, Edson Barboza, Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje as his only high-level opponents. Meanwhile, Charles Oliveira overcame Jim Miller, Kevin Lee, Tony Ferguson, Michael Chandler, Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje.
If he defeats Islam Makhachev at UFC 280, he will add another high-level name to his list of victims to surpass Nurmagomedov's count of elite wins.
#3. Charles Oliveira has finished more top contenders
One criticism the casual fanbase had of Khabib Nurmagomedov earlier in his career was his seemingly low finishing rate. In the final years of his UFC run, 'The Eagle' made it a point to punctuate his victories by finishing his opponents.
Charles Oliveira has always been a different beast. The owner of the record for the most finishes in UFC history, 'do Bronx' is extremely aggressive in his pursuit of definitive victories.
While Nurmagomedov submitted Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, Justin Gaethje and Michael Johnson, Oliveira did even better by submitting Dustin Poirier, Justin Gaethje, Jim Miller, Kevin Lee and TKO'ing Michael Chandler.
The Brazilian has already finished more high-level fighters than his Russian rival. If he manages to either submit or TKO/KO Islam Makhachev in their upcoming bout, he will extend his finishing streak further by adding another quality name. Lastly, not only does Oliveira have more finishes over better competition, he also has a greater variety of finishes over more varied opposition than Nurmagomedov, having fought strikers, wrestlers and Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belts.
#2. It'll be a glimpse at how well Charles Oliveira would do against Khabib Nurmagomedov
Khabib Nurmagomedov is unlikely to ever return to the cage. Despite countless attempts by UFC President Dana White, 'The Eagle' has stood firm on his decision to remain retired.
According to Nurmagomedov himself, he has ballooned since abandoning his pursuits as a fighter and now weighs over 200 lbs. This renders a cut to 155 lbs as extreme a challenge as any. Thus, fans will likely never see Charles Oliveira test himself against 'The Eagle'.
The upcoming matchup with Islam Makhachev is the closest glimpse at how successful Oliveira will be against a grappling style that's somewhat similar to Nurmagomedov's. If 'do Bronx' successfully defeats Makhachev, it will strengthen the comparisons to Nurmagomedov. Makhachev is often regarded as a more technical version of his Dagestani compatriot.
Specifically, Makhachev is more defensively responsible despite ironically being the only one between the two to have ever been knocked out. On average, Makhachev absorbs fewer strikes than 'The Eagle' per fight and is less reckless with his takedown entries. Furthermore, he favors positional grappling on the mat to give his opponents less chances to submit him.
If Oliveira emerges victorious at the upcoming pay-per-view, he will be the only lightweight GOAT candidate to have faced an opponent who closely emulates the style of another GOAT candidate with fewer defensive mistakes.
#1. Charles Oliveira will have come closer to cleaning out the division
Neither Khabib Nurmagomedov nor B.J. Penn can claim that they cleared out the division. Charles Oliveira is a different case in this regard. Oliveira's victories over Tony Ferguson, Dustin Poirier, Justin Gaethje, Michael Chandler and Kevin Lee have brought him closer to cleaning out the lightweight division than any other 155 lbs GOAT candidate before him.
By defeating Islam Makhachev at UFC 280, he will have completely cleared out the top five in his division, which neither Penn nor Nurmagomedov have ever managed to do. It will reflect a level of dominance that has not yet been seen in the lightweight division.
Furthermore, it will bring 'do Bronx' level with both Penn and Nurmagomedov in terms of UFC lightweight championship bout wins.
