Belal Muhammad reacts to Charles Oliveira withdrawing from UFC 294: “He chose not to fight”

UFC fighter Belal Muhammad has given his thoughts on Charles Oliveira withdrawing from UFC 294.

This weekend was supposed to see Charles Oliveira take on Islam Makhachev for the UFC lightweight championship. Unfortunately, due to a cut sustained by ‘Do Bronx’ in training, he will no longer take part in the event. Instead, Alexander Volkanovski has stepped in on short notice to battle Makhachev for the second time.

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At this point, nobody really knows what the future will hold for Charles Oliveira, who has received criticism for going so hard in his camp when the bout was just two weeks away. In the eyes of Belal Muhammad, though, this may have been what he wanted all along.

Belal Muhammad claimed Charles Oliveira never wanted to fight at UFC 294 pic.twitter.com/5hRBisl76M

— Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) October 18, 2023

Muhammad questions Oliveira

#”Charles got what he wanted. He is not fighting in Abu Dhabi,” Muhammad said. “As a fighter, you understand the game, right? The training is the hardest part. But, the biggest fight of your life, the biggest rematch of your life, you get a cut 10 days before the fight on your eyebrow? Like, who are you training with, bro?

“Anthony Pettis, before his fight with Dustin Poirier, one week before, he got split open… The world didn’t know about it. Anthony got it surgically repaired, stitched up. It opened up in the fight, but he still went in there and fought,” Muhammad continued. “To me, Charles never wanted to go to Abu Dhabi. He never wanted to fight in enemy territory… Do I say he did it purposefully? Who knows? But he chose not to fight.”

Quotes via MMA News

Do you agree with this assessment from Belal Muhammad? What is going to be next for Charles Oliveira? Let us know your thoughts, BJPENN Nation!