Even in retirement, Khabib
Nurmagomedov looms large over the Ultimate Fighting
Championship’s lightweight division.
While Charles
Oliveira has respect for the undefeated Dagestani, he believes
his accomplishments have allowed him to escape the shadow of the
former 155-pound title holder. Oliveira earned his 10th consecutive
triumph in the UFC 269 headliner on Saturday, submitting Dustin
Poirier with a rear-naked choke 62 seconds into the third round
of their championship encounter at the T-Mobile Arena in Las
Vegas.
“[Khabib Nurmagomedov] was a great fighter, a great champion,”
Oliveira said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “He had
his history and his legacy, but he retired and now legacy and
history have a new name at lightweight, and it’s Charles
Oliveira.”
Despite entering UFC 269 as the defending champion, Oliveira was an
underdog against Poirier, who turned down a title shot earlier this
year in favor of a lucrative trilogy against Conor
McGregor. That allowed Oliveira to claim the crown vacated by
Nurmagomedov with a stoppage of Michael
Chandler at UFC 262 in May.
At this point, “Do Bronx” isn’t concerned if he’ll receive the
respect that he truly deserves. In back-to-back bouts against
heavy-handed punchers, the Brazilian has absorbed some serious
damage and recovered to earn victories.
“I don’t care,” Oliveira said. I don’t care what people think. I
don’t care what they say. I mean, look at what they’ve been saying
about me. So they say I can’t take hits. Look at what I’ve been
doing. They say I quit. Look at what I’ve been doing. So I’m just
going to continue to do what I do.”
Going forward, however, it appears that Oliveira will still have to
earn some more respect as he heads into what will likely be his
next title defense against Justin
Gaethje.
“I saw a competitor tonight,” Gaethje said of Oliveira on the ESPN
post-fight show. “I saw a dog and I can’t wait to break his face.
He gets hit a lot.
“He better pray and hope for the next however many days until our
fight that he takes me down, gets his choke. Because if not, we see
what happens.”
It’s not the first time Gaethje has been somewhat dismissive of
Oliveira’s heart. “Do Bronx” believes the results speak for
themselves.
“I don’t care,” Oliveira said. “I come here and I do it. I’m not on
the Internet. I’m not on Twitter. I’m not on Facebook trying to
show people what’s going on. I’m here. I’m the champion.
“I have this belt. I’m going to keep defending it. I don’t care
what people say. I’m going to do me.”