Charles Oliveira is going to walk out at UFC 280 considering himself the UFC lightweight champion Notifications New User posted their first comment this is comment text Approve Reject & ban Delete Logout

I m going for another title defense - Charles Oliveira is going to walk out at UFC 280 considering himself the UFC lightweight champion

UFC 269: Oliveira v Poirier, Charles Oliveira is under the mentality that UFC 280 will mark a title defense when he steps into the octagon to face Islam Makhachev. 'Do Bronx' was stripped of the title at UFC 274 earlier this year after missing weight by half-a-pound. The Brazilian went on to defeat in the first-round but wasn't eligible to leave the octagon with the title. Although it has remained vacant, Oliveira continues to consider himself the champion. The 32-year-old remains the only fighter to be stripped of their title for missing weight in UFC history. In a video uploaded by the UFC on YouTube, Oliveira stated that he's heading into the UFC 280 main event with the mindset that he's already champ: "I showed them I'm the true champion [after defeating Justin Gaethje]. I'm going for another title defense. I'm not going to win back a title. I'm going to defend it. Nobody can take that out of my head. Charles is still the lighweight champion. The champion is Charles Oliveira. Charles 'Do Bronx'." Oliveira will not only hope to recapture his title but also increase his impressive streak of wins against high-ranked opponents. 'Do Bronx' is on an 11-fight winning run, which includes victories over Dustin Poirier, Michael Chandler and Justin Gaethje within the last 18 months.

Islam Makhachev s manager says he s heading into UFC 280 as the challenger to Charles Oliveira s title

Ali Abdelaziz has that his client, Islam Makhachev, knows that he is competing in UFC 280's main event as a challenger for Oliveira's title. The Dominance MMA CEO, who has been vocal in regards to his fighter's chances, has surprisingly acknowledged and agreed with Oliveira's perception of the headliner. Oliveira's controversial title stripping may not have him down as the titleholder officially, but many in the MMA community, including Abdelaziz and Makhachev, still consider him the lightweight king. The Egyptian manager told Canal Encarada: "Charles Oliveira is the UFC lightweight champion. We are the contender, we just go there to try to challenge the champion to take something very very heavy from him." Watch Ali Abedlaziz's interview here: Both Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev head to Abu Dhabi in the finest form of their careers. They are sporting 11 and 10 fight win streaks, respectively, and are each experts in their craft. Oliveira's high-level Brazilian jiu-jitsu will be pitted against Makhachev's elite sambo as the pair settle who's the king of the 155-pound division. Poll : 0 votes Quick Links More from Sportskeeda Thank You! Show More Comments No thanks Delete Cancel Update Reply ❮ ❯ No thanks Delete Cancel Update Reply ❮ ❯ Be the first one to comment on this story More from Sportskeeda Fetching more content... 1 Logout No Results Found