Charles Oliveira
Rarely would an argument need to be made for a fighter on an eight-fight winning streak, coming off of a victory against one of his division’s all-time greats. But, given the state of the 155-pound title picture, that’s where we’re at with Charles Oliveira following his win over Tony Ferguson at UFC 256.
Currently the third-ranked lightweight in the promotion, Oliveira finds himself behind former title challengers Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier. They’re also technically ranked behind the retired(?) UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. UFC President Dana White remains focused on keeping the belt on Nurmagomedov, and having the legendary champ return for a shot at going 30-0 at some point.
Nurmagomedov, currently the #1 pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC rankings, has wins over much of the lightweight title picture, seemingly giving Oliveira an advantage the likes of Gaethje, Poirier, and Conor McGregor don’t have. If the promotion plans to lure Nurmagomedov back to the Octagon by giving him the next top contender in line, then Oliveira is in luck. But, that doesn’t seem to be the case.
Despite Nurmagomedov’s logical reasoning to the contrary, it’s easy to see why the promotion would angle for a rematch with McGregor. Less so with Poirier, but there’s still something there. That depends on how their rematch goes at UFC 257 in January.
There’s also Georges St. Pierre. It’s anyone’s guess how that fight would get made, but it would be massive. Easily the biggest potential opponent for Nurmagomedov, when the likes of GSP are in the conversation, Oliveira’s impressive resume’ gets pushed to the side.
Major fight negotiations are rarely smooth and quick, and this situation seems messier than most. If this is going to drag on, risking his well-earned standing and fighting the likes of Gaethje or Michael Chandler in 2021 would solidify his rank, and keep him in the discussion while bigger names attract more attention.
But, what if Nurmagomedov sticks to his retirement, and is actually done with MMA? Or at least, done for a few years, and stripped of his title? Then, Oliveira is back in the game. A bout with the winner of McGregor-Poirier 2 for the interim/vacant belt next year would make a ton of sense. Right now, that looks to be the promotion’s backup plan.
