Charles Oliveira (Do Bronx) is determined to accomplish his mission of reaching the UFC lightweight title. He has a fight against Beneil Dariush on May 6, and he believes that if he wins this one then it’ll be closer than ever for him to get an opportunity to challenge Islam Makhachev for the title. Although Charles won’t change anything from his last fight, he is planning out a different approach this time when it comes to actually fighting in the cage.
“I know how I’m going to win this fight, and I won’t get it wrong like last time,” Oliveira recently said in MMA Fighting’s Trocação Franca. Basically, I’m gonna be on the attack all throughout the match. No matter if it ends with a knockout, submission or by decision, I’m gonna be constantly trying to win.
“I don’t plan to fight strategically, instead I’m going to keep walking forward and hunting. If you don’t want to watch a boring fight, then watch me, because I will not stay down even when I get knocked down or dropped. My opponent may have been knocked out and submitted before, but we both have weaknesses that we’ll need to overcome if we want to win.”
Oliveira and Dariush are both known for their unique fighting styles, which include knockouts and submissions. They have also been knocked out or submitted in some fights. Even though they’re very skilled fighters now, they both started with different fighting techniques before they began training with the Chute Boxe disciples Diego Lima and Rafael Cordeiro.
“We don’t need to pretend we are somebody else,” Oliveira said. “Everybody knows I joined Chute Boxe Diego Lima to learn how to fight using my hands, because I normally use Jiu-Jitsu. My coach, Benny, is great at striking knacks, but we’re both part of the same school. No matter what happens in a fight, I always keep moving forward and never give up – whoever has the heart to really win will be the one who succeeds.”
Dariush is really motivated to win, like a lion hunting for its prey. He was hoping to battle Oliveira earlier this year but the Brazilian said it should happen his way and not when someone else wants it. And after some back-and-forth, they finally decided that May would be a good time for them both and for the UFC.
Oliveira said, “He knows what he needs to do and if he can beat me, the top player in the rankings, then he will become the next title challenger. Doing it all in a month doesn’t really make any difference.”
The UFC planned for Oliveira and Dariush to have a fight in October 2020, but Oliveira could not make it due to personal reasons. He later fought Tony Ferguson and is now closer to the championship belt at 155 pounds, but he still hasn’t shared why he withdrew from the other match-up. Both of them agreed that they have become more skilled fighters since then.
“My style in competing in MMA has changed so much, and I have also changed a lot since then. This fight is going to be tough since both of us are great fighters and will give it our all! The difference now is that I am more motivated than ever to become the champion again. I’m determined to win and make it happen!”
Benny is a professional Mixed Martial Arts fighter who can fight well in every aspect – wrestling, jiu-jitsu, and striking. He has a great coach in Rafael Cordeiro, so Charles needs to beware if he’s facing Benny. Charles must stay focused on the fight, going forward and hunting his opponent constantly!
