UFC Fight Night 152: Dos Anjos vs. Lee - The best and worst 

#3 Best: Charles Oliveira’s striking showcase

Charles Oliveira used his striking to deal impressively with Nik Lentz

I couldn’t really understand why the UFC booked a third fight between Charles Oliveira and Nik Lentz, especially as Oliveira had essentially won the previous two, but after seeing their third fight I was glad it’d been put together. This was a fun fight to watch, and surprisingly it was mainly due to Oliveira’s hugely improved striking game.

Oliveira – a grappler who has the most submission wins in UFC history on his ledger – has never been the most natural kickboxer but last night he pieced the usually-tough Lentz up from the beginning with long strikes, including a superman elbow that had ‘The Carny’ hurt in the first round.

Lentz made it into the second round but after coming close to being submitted with a guillotine, he threw a low kick that Oliveira caught and countered with a blistering right hand – reminiscent of Anderson Silva’s 2008 knockout of James Irvin – and the fight was over shortly after.

Oliveira’s questionable chin means I wouldn’t recommend him trading off with the better strikers at 155lbs, but to see him destroy Lentz with a much-improved kickboxing arsenal was definitely fun, and adds another string to the bow of one of the most entertaining fighters on the UFC roster. I can’t wait to see Oliveira again, and really that’s what matters, right?