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One could make the argument that 30-year-old Charles Oliveira is the most underrated fighter in the Lightweight division.
While there's lots of emphases put on rising stars like Islam Makhachev, the top 5 lightweights and then the "outsiders" such as Paul Felder and Dan Hooker, Charles Oliveira has managed to sneak his way into one rank above the top 5 at #6 owing to an emphatic 7-fight win streak.
Since his loss to Paul Felder in December 2017, Charles Oliveira has been virtually unstoppable, finishing seven out of his last seven fights. His most recent win was perhaps his biggest - a submission victory over Kevin Lee in Brasilia.
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While the logical step would be for Charles Oliveira would be to fight a top 5 Lightweight or someone ranked right below him, he's going out of his way to fight the #11 ranked Beneil Dariush.
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Speaking to AG Fight (H/T BJPENN.com), Charles Oliveira paid his respects to Dariush for his career but admitted that he wanted a name ranked above him and not below him.
He spoke about some of the top-ranked UFC Lightweights either refusing to fight him or being busy with other fights, along with various circumstances surrounding the situation:
“The refusal was very uncomfortable, especially for those who talk a lot, who challenge, who talk smack on social networks, and when things happen they run. The UFC looks for, tries to settle fights, but the guys need to accept. (Dan) Hooker challenged me. I accepted the fight, why didn’t he accept it? Dustin Poirier doesn’t want to fight this year, he said he doesn’t fight this year anymore."
"I can’t wait until next year. The time is now, not later. Khabib and Gaethje will fight. Tony Ferguson lost and is all hurt, will he fight this year? Dan Hooker the same thing. Conor McGregor said he retired. Retired or not? I am a fighter, I was born to fight. How long will I wait for these guys? Don’t you want to fight? Get out of the way.”
Charles Oliveira said that there's no use running and declared his intention to become a UFC Champion:
“The reality is this: there is no use running, there is no use hiding. Everyone is in the same boat, everyone wants the same thing, everyone wants to be a champion. I think that’s the mindset. I entered the UFC to be the champion, not just one more. So there is no use hiding, we are going to crash, we are going to hit the face for an hour. I’m in no hurry. I’m training and doing my part,” Oliveira.
What is the next logical step for Charles Oliveira?
Given the stylistic clash between Beneil Dariush and Charles Oliveira, it's safe to assume that the fight is going to end with a big finish. Charles Oliveira will be the favorite to win and if he does, the UFC owes it to him to get him a top-ranked opponent.
