Charles Oliveira is super confident he will become the new UFC lightweight champion on May 15.
In the main event of UFC 262, Oliveira and Michael Chandler are set to fight for the vacant lightweight title. It’s a fight many pundits are torn on who will win, but for Oliveira, he doesn’t think Chandler has the skill set to beat him.
“I’ll respect him, but I’ll walk forward the entire time,” Oliveira said to MMAFighting. “If he comes to hit me hard, he’ll eat a counter. We both walk forward all the time. It will be two trucks colliding. I’m not afraid of getting hit. Hit me. If he takes me down, I’ll be doing what I love the most, which is jiu-jitsu. I’m not worried if I stay on the feet or get taken down.
“All he has is a heavy hand, a heavy punch,” Oliveira continued. “I’m complete on the feet and complete on the ground. The only thing he has better than me is wrestling, but I’ll use my jiu-jitsu if he tries to wrestle me so it makes no difference to me.”
Although Oliveira thinks all Chandler has is a right hand, the former Bellator lightweight champion does have more skill than that. Before he was known as a KO artist, he was a wrestler, but it’s unlikely he would want to grapple with Oliveira who has a great ground game.
Chandler is also confident he will KO Oliveira in the first or second round. Yet, for the Brazilian, he knows if he gets out of the opening five minutes, he will have success for the rest of the scrap.
“That’s his strongest round, he comes for all or nothing in the first round,” Oliveira said. “He has great power with his hand. If you walk forward and don’t have the right strategy he’ll drop you on your butt because his first round is strong. We have to respect him, he was the Bellator champion and has fought great names, but I’ve also fought great names, I’ve had my highs and lows, and won my last eight.”
Do you agree with Charles Oliveira?
