"Have you ever seen a truck moving forward without brakes?" - Charles Oliveira slams critics for suggesting he should avoid striking with Justin Gaethje

As Charles Oliveira looks to defend his UFC lightweight title against Justin Gaethje, many fans have given the American fighter a striking advantage. However, ‘Do Bronx’ intends to prove his critics wrong as he’s willing to go blow for a blow at UFC 274.

In his recent interview with the Super Lutas channel, Oliveira stated that he respected Gaethje’s striking power. However, the lightweight champ was quick to point out that it was him who knocked out Michael Chandler to earn the belt, while his upcoming opponent only managed to defeat 'Iron' via a unanimous decision:

“Have you ever seen a truck moving forward without brakes? You guys saw it, right? You know how it works. It’s Charles. You just walk forward. 'Oooh, but he has heavy hand.' Okay, I respect. I respect his heavy hand. He really knocked out many people. But in the last fight, he made a war against Michael Chandler and I knocked out Michael Chandler with my left hand. So who has the heaviest hand?"*

Next, the Brazilian fighter revealed his game plan and stated that he will be looking forward to striking exchanges with Gaethje instead of utilizing his ground game:

"I’m still not understanding. So that’s not the truth. The truth will be just in time, about what will happen… On the 7th of May, I will prove it one more time. I’m not going to run and jump on his guard like everyone else is thinking. I’m not going to run and roll to get his legs. I’ll exchange blows with this guy. I have firepower in my hands."*

*Translation: Brazilian MMA Legends YouTube channel.

Watch Charles Oliveira's full interview below:

Charles Oliveira will defend his lightweight title against Justin Gaethje in the UFC 274 headliner. The event will take place on May 7, 2022, at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona, United States.

In the second featured bout of the evening, Rose Namajunas will defend her UFC women’s strawweight title against Carla Esparza.

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Charles Oliveira on Justin Gaethje’s attempts to play mind games on him

'Do Bronx' believes that his upcoming opponent Justin Gaethje is trying to play mind games by stating that he will win thanks to his striking.

During an interview with Brazilian media outlet Olhar da Luta, Oliveira spoke about Justin Gaethje's opinion that he has the upper hand in the stand-up part of the fight:

"Justin Gaethje is coming up with a lot of bullsh*t. I think that's what he's trying to do, to win the mind game. But that makes no difference to me. I learned that we have two ears to listen but we also have to let it out... If he thinks he can beat me in a standing fight, he can try to knock me out. If he thinks he's a better wrestler than me, he can take me down too." [Translation: MMA Clips Brazil on YouTube]

Watch the full interview below:

Currently on a 10-fight winning streak, Charles Oliveira will look to secure another emphatic title defense as he takes on 'The Higlight'.

On the other hand, this will be Gaethje's second shot at the undisputed lightweight title. If the 33-year-old is unable to secure the belt this time around, it's fair to say the he will have a lot of work to do in order to reach the same position.