Rafael dos Anjos excited for possible Charles Oliveira matchup: “We all know he’s been knocked out in his fights”

By Josh Evanoff - July 7, 2022

UFC lightweight Rafael dos Anjos is intrigued by a fight with Charles Oliveira.

Rafael dos Anjos, Islam Makhachev

The 37-year-old is set for a matchup with Rafael Fiziev in the main event of UFC Vegas 58 this Saturday. The lightweight headliner is an exciting matchup no doubt. The winner of the main event will be thrust into the title conversation at 155-pounds.

It’s a division with no shortage of contenders at the top. However, what the lightweight division lacks is a champion. Charles Oliveira famously lost the title following his ill-fated UFC 274 weigh-in against Justin Gaethje.

If he gets through his matchup with Rafael Fiziev, Rafael dos Anjos would be interested in a fight with Charles Oliveira. In an interview with MMAFighting, the Brazilian discussed the possibility of the title fight.

The lightweight contender praised the former champion, however, he also acknowledged his previous defeats. Dos Anjos also criticized Olivera’s recent opponents for their jiu-jitsu errors in their fights with ‘Do Bronx’.

Charles Oliveira, Conor McGregor

Charles Oliveira (via @ESPNMMA)

“He’s on his moment. Fighters, it’s all about the mentality. [Charles Oliveira has] got his mental [attitude] on point, and he’s very confident, but we all know he has been knocked out in his fights, and he quit a couple of times. But he’s on his moment right now. He’s very confident. He’s on a good win streak.” (h/t MMAFighting)

Charles Oliveira continued, “If you see when he took [Dustin] Poirier down, [Poirier] just grabbed him and tried to eat the time. It looked like he was desperate while he was on bottom. I play well on the bottom. I’m a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, and I know how to control the wrist and how to be calm on the bottom. With [Justin] Gaethje, he gave the back right away, and once you get in the scrambles and these guys give their back right away, that’s how Charles is good.”

Do you want to see Rafael dos Anjos vs. Charles Oliveira? Sound off in the comment section below!

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM


Topics:

Charles Oliveira Rafael dos Anjos UFC