When Charles Oliveira's coach gave an example of biased judging to justify why 'do Bronx' didn't want to fight Islam Makhachev in Abu Dhabi

In an interaction with Ag Fight, Charles Oliveira's head coach Diego Lima recalled the time one of his disciples, Allan Nascimento, suffered a loss in his debut fight at the hands of Tagir Ulanbekov at UFC 267 due to biased judging.

The fight took place at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The same venue where Charles Oliveira is expected to compete for the vacant UFC lightweight title against Islam Makhachev in October.

'Do Bronx' currently finds himself on a collision course with Islam Makhachev. The duo is set to lock horns at UFC 280 on October 22 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Nascimento was bested by the Dagestani fighter by way of a split decision at the end of three rounds, a result that was heavily contested by the Brazilian outfit. Recalling the same, Lima argued that Nascimento would have won the scrap had he been fighting in any other country.

"Allan Puro Osso debuted in the UFC against Khabib's cousin, I forgot his name [Ulanbekov]. Cousin, friend, I don't know. There in Abu Dhabi... People from the organization, backstage, UFC commentators, former fighters, inside the locker room said that they thought Allan won. In my opinion, Allan won the fight. If it had been in any other country in the world he would have won the fight." [Translated from Portuguese by Ag Fight]

---

Diego Lima in favor of Charles Oliveira's reluctance to fight in UAE

Former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira's head coach, Diego Lima, previously scorned the UFC for the way the promotion chose venues for their events.

Shortly after Charles Oliveira dismantled Justin Gaethje at UFC 274 in Arizona and confirmed his spot in the next title fight, Lima, in an interview with Ag Fight, declared that he was unwilling to compete against Makhachev and team in his "house".

He wondered why the UFC refused to offer Oliveira the opportunity to perform in his home country of Brazil. Lima stated:

“Why in Makhachev's 'house'? Look at everything Charles did, look at his history. Why not let Charles fight where he wants? Why not give us a chance to [fight in] Brazil? 'Oh but it has to be a neutral place'. Okay, let's go to New York... Now, why go to Abu Dhabi in October? Charles doesn't want to [fight in Abu Dhabi]. And I, as Charles' head coach, am totally in his favor and I fully agree with him.”

Lima further alleged that had the fight been against Conor McGregor, the UFC would have arranged for it to take place in his backyard in Ireland. However, Charles Oliveira was never afforded the same courtesy.

Check out Diego Lima's full interaction with Ag Fight in Portuguese below: