UFC Vegas 87 winner Vinicius Oliveira eager to fight Umar Nurmagomedov: “It will be an easy fight for me”
Vinicius Oliveira thinks he already has what it takes to end the hype train of Umar Nurmagomedov.
Oliveira and Nurmagomedov both had bouts on the UFC Vegas 87 card this past Saturday. Oliveira scored a KO victory over Benardo Sopaj thanks to a flying knee. Nurmagomedov survived an early knockdown to defeat Bekzat Almakhan via unanimous decision.
After UFC Vegas 87 wrapped up, Oliveira took aim at Umar.
Vinicius Oliveira Thinks He Can Stop Umar Nurmagomedov’s Momentum
Oliveira got a chance to speak with numerous members of the press following his dazzling finish over Sopaj. Oliveira made it clear that he feels he’s ready to show he’s better than the likes of Umar Nurmagomedov (h/t MMAJunkie).
“I would like to (fight) against Umar Nurmagomedov,” Oliveira (20-3 MMA, 1-0 UFC) told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a post-fight news conference. “… I’m sure if I fight against Umar Nurmagomedov, it will be an easy fight for me because he just has wrestling. He would be able to put me on the ground, but I’ve worked so hard on my defense.”
Oliveira took things a step further, predicting a quick finish over Umar if given the chance.
“I’m almost sure I’d be able to defeat this guy in the first round, because my mistake today was only my takedown defense,” Oliveira said. “Now, I go back to the gym and I train so hard so it doesn’t happen again.”
Umar is a superb wrestler, and that high-level grappling is what got him out of danger on fight night against Bekzat. Whether or not Oliveira would find success thwarting Umar’s takedown attempts remains to be seen, but Nurmagomedov has his sights set on Cory Sandhagen at the moment.
