Charles Oliveira will face Islam Makhachev in the main event of UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi on October 22 for the vacant lightweight belt. It is one of the most highly anticipated matchups of the year. 'do Bronx' has been on a tear, amassing an 11-fight winning streak with ten finishes, while Islam Makhachev is on a 10-fight winning streak of his own.
The big question is how will Oliveira's Brazilian jiu-jitsu wizardry fare against Makhachev's sambo and wrestling, which has been called anti-jiu-jitsu by many. Fighters and fans eagerly look forward to this bout, including UFC middleweight fan-favorite Darren Till. However, the Liverpudlian doesn't want Makhachev's teammate Daniel Cormier to be on commentary duties. He wrote in a post on Twitter:
"Charles Vs Islam What a fight Just don't let DC commentate"
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This is most likely due to Cormier being accused of biased commentary in the past and his close relationship with Islam Makhachev, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and the team from Eagles MMA in Dagestan. They have all trained together for many years at the American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) in San Jose, California.
The former two-division UFC champion expressed his disappointment at Darren Till's statement and replied, saying:
"Darren I expect better from you. I've called multiple teammates fights. And honestly my commentary doesn't affect the judges or anything honestly. Most times my team is mad at me because they feel I am too much in other direction. Do better Till!"
Fans have echoed Darren Till's sentiment and asked to keep 'DC' away from Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev
In a recent episode of ESPN MMA's DC & RC show, Islam Makhachev made an appearance and talked about his upcoming title fight against Charles Oliveira. During the interaction, Makhachev mocked Oliveira's inability to speak English, among other things. This drew a vivid response from Cormier, who was seen laughing hysterically at the comments.
See the clip below:
Fans flooded the comments to express their concerns and displeasure, calling for Cormier to be kept away from commentary duties for the fight.
See some of their comments below:
This isn't the first time 'DC' has been accused of being biased in his commentary. However, he remains one of the most experienced and knowledgeable minds in the sport, so his opinion has immense value. If he is commentating at UFC 280, fans will hope to hear a neutral analysis from the UFC Hall of Famer.