Charles Oliveira's coach has claimed that their team will shift their focus towards bringing Khabib Nurmagomedov out of retirement if 'do Bronx' manages to beat Islam Makhachev in their upcoming fight.
Oliveira and Makhachev will headline the UFC 280 pay-per-view which is set to take place at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on October 22.
The winner of the fight will become the new UFC lightweight champion. During an interaction with Canal Encarada, Oliveira's coach Diego Lima spoke about the Brazilian potentially sharing the octagon with Nurmagomedov after beating his childhood friend and teammate at UFC 280.
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Lima revealed that Oliveira is currently solely focused on the fight against Makhachev and not thinking about 'The Eagle'. Having said that, Lima believes that if Oliveira beats Makhachev, the attention will turn to Khabib automatically.
Lima claimed that the retired former champion has put himself in conversation about a potential clash with Oliveira because of his recent trash-talking. Nurmagomedov has previously stated that Makhachev will comfortably put Oliveira away when they fight.
The coach feels that fans across the globe, including Russians, will urge the undefeated fighter to step out of retirement to face Charles Oliveira if the Brazilian extends his win streak in October. He explained:
"I honestly think that Charles doesn't think about that today. When a fight is booked he focus 100% on it... I think that after we get past Makhachev, I think there will be a lot of pressure not just from our side but maybe the Russians after [Oliveira beats] Makhachev especially in Abu Dhabi... beating Makhachev will automatically turn the spotlight on Khabib... The media's, the fanbase's attention will be on him... It's his fault. I think the trash talk that he did... It won't be because of Charles or Makhachev but because of Khabib's mouth. Over the fact that he spoke so much."
Watch the interview below:
Charles Oliveira questions whether taking him down would be a smart thing to do for Islam Makhachev
Charles Oliveira believes he'll put away Islam Makhachev at UCF 280. 'Do Bronx' said he's well prepared to outclass the Dagestani fighter on the feet as well as on the ground. While acknowledging Makhachev as a good fighter, Oliveira doesn't think he's invincible.
Oliveira said that he's beaten much tougher competition compared to what Makhachev has done inside the octagon. He also claimed that although the Dagestani fighter is a world-class grappler, it wouldn't be smart on his part to take down the man with the most submissions in UFC history.
During a press conference for UFC 280, Charles Oliveira said:
"He’s dropping in on a wave, and that’s what he’s supposed to do. But if you’ve seen my record, I’ve fought tougher people, and I’m here to prove that I’ll do it again... The ground is his turf so he will definitely try to do that, but if he does, will he want to do and bring down the best submitter in the history of the UFC? I’m not sure."
Watch the UFC 280 press conference below: