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Daniel Cormier claims he won't make the mistake of considering Charles Oliveira as an underdog in any of the Brazilian's future fights. Following his sensational win over Dustin Poirier at UFC 269, 'Do Bronx' has proved that he's the best fighter in the lightweight division right now.
While Cormier hails Oliveira as the current king at 155 lbs, he feels there's one thing that could pose a threat to the Brazilian in a potential title fight with Justin Gaethje down the line. According to Cormier, Oliveira has been susceptible to getting hit, as is evident from his last couple of fights.
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Charles Oliveira has found himself in some precarious positions in his last two championship bouts.
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In his fight with Michael Chandler at UFC 262, he took numerous hard shots to the dome in the first round before finishing the fight in the second. At UFC 269 against Dustin Poirier, he was dropped multiple times in the first round by 'The Diamond'.
'DC' believes it'll be difficult for him to recover from a powerful strike from Justin Gaethje and be able to continue fighting. In an episode of ESPN's DC & RC Show, Cormier had this to say about a potential bout between Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje:
"I just don't know who's favorite to beat him anymore. I'm dead serious, like, after watching him doing what he did, I don't know, for how good as he looked, I don't know how you choose against him. Now the one thing that could be a danger is that he does absorb a lot of damage. That's why he was hurt against Chandler and he was hurt against Dustin. I don't know if you can take that damage early against a Justin Gaethje and live to tell the story."
Watch the full episode below:
Justin Gaethje likely 'next' in line to face Charles Oliveira
Charles Oliveira is expected to fight top-contender Justin Gaethje in his second title defense.
With No.3-ranked Beneil Dariush and No.4-ranked Islam Makhachev set to lock horns next year, no other fighter at 155 lbs warrants a shot at the title. During the post-fight press conference following UFC 269, Dana White acknowledged that it "makes sense" to book a fight between No.1-ranked Gaethje and the Brazilian Champion.
Watch Dana White's appearance at the press conference following UFC 269 below:
