Who is the greatest lightweight of all time?
There was a point in the not-too-distant past when former 155-pound champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov, was considered the best of the best. Then came his protege, Islam Makhachev, who may have surpassed “The Eagle” in terms of lightweight accomplishments.
Neither can hold a candle to longtime veteran, Charles Oliveira.
“Each and every one of us has their moments and their eras,” the former lightweight champion told UFC on Paramount. “You talk about Khabib, who
basically just stepped away from the game undefeated. Islam is making history as a two-division champion. But when you look at the resume, the names, the wins, the records, and what I’ve been through, I believe that my resume is the best.”
Oliveira (36-11, 1 NC) was submitted by Makhachev at UFC 280 back in late 2022.
The 36 year-old Brazilian holds the record for most finishes in UFC history (21), as well as the most submissions (17) and total fight night bonuses (21). He’ll look to add to those numbers when he rematches Max Holloway for the “BMF” belt atop the UFC 326 fight card this weekend in Las Vegas.
After that, “Do Bronxs” wants a stadium show in Brazil.
“I’ve said this before and I said it after my last fight — Brazil deserves it,” Oliveira said during the UFC 326 media day. “This is the time for us to do it. This is the time to make it happen, to make it in a stadium. Brazil deserves that. The Brazilian people deserve that. A stadium, closed, put an Octagon in the middle and we’re going to do our job, which is to fill that stadium up to capacity. Listen — Dana, Hunter, Sean (Shelby); everybody get it together. The Brazilian people deserve this and we’re going to make it beautiful.”
A victory over Holloway would certainly help his cause.
