"I'm employed by Zuffa" - Charles Oliveira outlines reason behind accepting Arman Tsarukyan fight at UFC 300

Former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira is scheduled to face Arman Tsarukyan at the landmark UFC 300 event on April 13, 2024. Certain sections of the MMA community believe that 34-year-old Oliveira made a mistake by agreeing to fight 27-year-old Tsarukyan next. For his part, 'do Bronx' has now revealed why he chose to accept the matchup.

In his most recent fight, Oliveira ended Beneil Dariush's eight-fight win streak and returned to the win column. He dominantly defeated Dariush via first-round TKO in June 2023.

Many believed the UFC could book Oliveira to face Islam Makhachev for the latter's UFC lightweight title in a rematch. Regardless, the Dagestani athlete, who's a devout Muslim, isn't expected to return before June 2024. The hiatus is due to Makhachev's religious obligations during Ramadan (approximately from March 10 to April 9, 2024).

Meanwhile, the UFC organization confirmed that the No. 1-ranked UFC lightweight Oliveira would face the No. 4-ranked Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 300. Some fans and experts have pointed out that with a victory over the former champion at the centenary event, Tsarukyan could catapult himself into the lightweight title picture.

During a recent interview with MMA Mania, 'Do Bronx' was asked why he chose to risk his potential No. 1 contender status and title shot by signing up to fight Tsarukyan.

Oliveira indicated that he views himself as a dutiful employee of Zuffa, the UFC's parent company that Endeavor owns. The grappling savant implied that he agreed to the matchup as the promotion offered it to him. Additionally, if he'd decided to wait for a title shot, he'd have probably been sidelined till the end of 2024. 'do Bronx' stated:

"First of all, I'm employed by Zuffa. So, I need to accept what they bring to me. And that's what I'm gonna do. If I was supposed to wait for the title, I would fight only at the end of the year. And I don't like to wait too much to fight. And I would be like, waiting for one year almost. So, that's why I accepted this challenge."

Check out Charles Oliveira's comments below:

Watch the complete interview below (Tsarukyan-related comments at the 6:06-minute mark):

---

Charles Oliveira responds to Arman Tsarukyan's knockout prediction ahead of UFC 300

As seen in a video put forth by the "@ChampRDS" handle on X (video via "@RedCorner_MMA" on X), Arman Tsarukyan recently predicted that he'll knock Charles Oliveira out at UFC 300. The Armenian-Russian fighter insinuated that except for his submission prowess, Oliveira was nothing special.

Watch Tsarukyan's assessment below:

At the 7:18-minute mark of Charles Oliveira's MMA Mania interview, he was asked about Arman Tsarukyan's aforementioned assertions and whether the seemingly hostile remarks motivated him to work harder. 'Do Bronx' explained that Tsarukyan's job as an opponent is to say things to disconcert him. Emphasizing that he's unrattled by whatever his foe says, Oliveira said:

"For sure, he needs to be a confident guy. He needs to be focused. He deserves all the respect of the world. But I'm not worried about what he's thinking. I'm just focused on what I'm going to do inside the cage."