Charles Oliveira recently weighed in on the upcoming light heavyweight title clash between Jamahal Hill and champion Alex Pereira, which is scheduled to headline UFC 300 on April 13, 2024.
Despite never having a bitter rivalry, there is history between the two light heavyweights as Hill defeated Pereira's long time friend and coach Glover Teixeira to win the light heavyweight championship last year in what ended up being Teixeira's retirement fight. 'Sweet Dreams' was later forced to relinquish the title due to an Achilles injury, before 'Poatan' earned a TKO win over Jiri Prochazka to win the vacant championship.
While speaking to MMA Fighting, Oliveira shared his thoughts on the UFC 300 main event and noted that his fellow countryman will have vengeance on his mind. He mentioned that he likes Pereira's chances against Hill and predicted what he believes will transpire. He said:
"Man, Jamahal [Hill] deserves all the respect in the world. He's super tough and hits hard, but everyone that comes in to trade with 'Poatan' on the feet will get folded. 'Poatan' is tough and hits hard. 'Poatan' definitely is hungry for revenge too, and wants to avenge Glover's [Teixeira] loss. You have to be careful with that, but I'm sure 'Poatan' will knock him out." [10:00 - 10:23]
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Check out the full interview below:
Who is Charles Oliveira fighting at UFC 300?
Charles Oliveira will also be motivated at UFC 300 as he is scheduled to fight surging lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan.
Tsarukyan is currently riding an impressive three fight winning streak that includes a unanimous decision win over Damir Ismagulov, TKO win over Joaquim Silva, and dominant first round knockout win over Beneil Dariush. There will be a lot at stake when he fights the former lightweight champion as the winner could very well make a strong argument for the next title shot.
With a win over Tsarukyan, Charles Oliveira can stake his claim to a rematch against Islam Makhachev, the man who beat him and took his lightweight strap. As a result, 'do Bronx' is likely to be a highly motivated fighter heading into UFC 300.