Charles Oliveira shares eye-opening take on why Islam Makhachev will be "a step ahead" of Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 311

Islam Makhachev vs. Arman Tsarukyan will headline UFC 311 on Jan. 18, the promotion's first pay-per-view card of the year. They will fight for the lightweight title in a rematch of their UFC Fight Night 149 clash in 2019.

The Dagestani defeated Tsarukyan in their first meeting, securing a unanimous decision win after a competitive three-round bout. Since their fight in 2019, the pair share a combined record of 18-1 inside the octagon.

Despite the competitive nature of their first fixture, Makhachev will enter the rematch as a massive -380 favorite according to some sportsbooks. A former opponent of both fighters, Charles Oliveira, recently broke down the lightweight title matchup during an interview with The Schmo.

'Do Bronx' said:

"50/50. I do believe they are two tough fighters, I do believe that Islam has got a little step ahead just because of the fact that he's got some of that striking. I've seen Arman training, he's trained really hard. I'm putting it at 50/50, but it doesn't matter, who ever it is, I'm coming for [the title]." [Translated by Fabiano Bruskei]

Catch Oliveira's take on the Islam Makhachev vs. Arman Tsarukyan matchup below (3:10):

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Charles Oliveira eagerly awaits the winner of Islam Makhachev vs. Arman Tsarukyan

UFC 311 will see two epic title fights take place on the main card, with Islam Makhachev looking to make history in the main event against Arman Tsarukyan by becoming the first lightweight to defend the title four times.

The co-main event will feature a clash between Merab Dvalishvili and Umar Nurmagomedov, who will go to war for the bantamweight title.

Tsarukyan defeated Charles Oliveira at UFC 300 in an official title eliminator, but the Brazilian is expecting to face the winner of the upcoming 155-pound title bout. During a recent interview with MMA journalist Manouk Akopyan, he said:

"I even offered the UFC to be the back-up for this fight. They just told me to wait. So here I am, I'm waiting to see who the winner is gonna be, who I'm gonna be facing. Since they told me to wait, I'm just taking some time off and enjoying the time with my family, my daughter and my wife."

'Do Bronx' was asked if he would be attending the fight, and he replied:

"Yeah, for sure. I told Dana [White] that I wanted to be front-row when this fight happened and that's what's happening."

Catch Charles Oliveira discuss Islam Makhachev vs. Arman Tsarukyan below (1:25):