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Is Charles Oliveira the Best Lightweight on the Planet?

May 21, 2021
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Are we including Khabib in this conversation or no?

Because if we are, then I am asking a rhetorical question with a certain answer of “No”. Or am I? Is Charles Oliveira the perfect matchup for Khabib?

Well, back when the dreamers were giving Tony Ferguson a chance to defeat the undefeated Eagle, their augment was similar to one that we could make for Charles Oliviera. And now that we have seen Charlie dominate Tony Ferguson and knock out Michael Chandler, Khabib has to believe that Olives is the biggest challenge he can face.

That won’t be enough, though. Khabib has beaten everyone else and he can’t just keep un-retiring to fight the new champion at 155 because that belt changes hands just about every other fight, more than any other I believe.

Let’s leave Khabib out of today’s conversation.

He may be coming back to silence the skeptics one last time and I could talk for days about this dream matchup so let’s focus on the top 3 of the UFC’s Lightweight Division and their respective chances to dethrone the new UFC Lightweight World Champion.

Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor are fighting in a couple of months and the winner of this fight is expected to be the #1 contender for the strap so we can assume one of the two will be next for Charles Oliveira.

I’m not sure what is going on with Justin Gaethje. It isn’t like he took a great deal of damage against Khabib. That fight was over pretty quickly, especially after it hit the mat. Khabib was all over him and exposed some glaring holes in the bottom game of the Colorado native.

I think a fight with him and Charles Oliveira is just as exciting and interesting as the Michael Chandler fight we just saw. I know Mr. Chandler needed a seat from the excitement…

But I give Justin a better chance at victory here. He is the more talented striker and he implements a lot of kicks which could be a game changer against Oliveira.

Then again:
Charlie might just time up one of those kicks, follow it back to him, and get the takedown on Gaethje. If that happens, you can cancel Christmas. Game over. Gaethje could catch him with a punch, though, and/or build some momentum like he usually does and fight completely downhill. That’s when Justin is at his best.

Let’s finish our thought on the Gaethje fight as well as look at how Charles matches up with both Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor.

Charles Oliveira vs Dustin Poirier

I will come right out and say it. I would favor Charles Oliveira in a fight over the other two guys, even Conor, but against The Diamond, man, I don’t know.

I love Dustin’s pressure boxing style. Yes, Justin also pressures with his style but he works more with his feet and cutting angles quickly. To beat Charles Oliveira, you’re going to have to take the fight to him and not back down.

Michael Chandler backed down. He had his chances to attack from the top but he hesitated several times and you know he will have to live with that for the rest of his life. Chandler seems like a stand up guy in the good honest man sort of way and I would like to see him get another opportunity but he did waste it.

He had Oliveira hurt in the first round and was a punch or two away from ending the fight it seemed but he hesitated and he knows as well as anyone on the planet that there is no room for that at the championship level. We can’t forget about the early success he had against the champ, though. I think from a technical boxing perspective all three of the guys we will talk about today are at a much higher level than Chandler.

Michael makes his living on explosion, power, and great timing but it wasn’t enough to take out the king of skill with possibly the perfect frame for 155, Charles Do Bronx Oliveira.

I like Dustin’s chances more than Gaethje’s because Poirier likes to get his work done in the pocket, forehead to forehead, old school boxing style. He can slip and rip with the best of them from there.

I think his mentality along with the pocket boxing will make the most problems for Charles who is long and prefers to keep his opponents on the end of his shots. Oliveira is very good with his elbows inside, though, but I know how it is being a tall and lanky fighter.

The center of your chest is your weakest point.

That’s where all your length is virtually meaningless. There is the Thai plum or necktie from there but in MMA, it can be countered with double underhooks and a body lock takedown. I give Dustin a better chance than the others but still not enough to be the favorite here against the new champ.

Handicap:
Charles Oliveira
-140
Dustin Poirier
+120
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Justin Gaethje vs Charles Oliveira

We spoke for a bit about Justin’s chances and I love his coach and the puzzles that man is able to help his fighters solve. Weili Zhang, Joanna Champion, Jessica Andrade…He helped Rose Namajunas conquer them all.

Justin Gaethje was the first fighter to expose El Cucuy Tony Ferguson and I know that Trevor Wittman was a large part of that effort.

The man is a genius. He loves his job and look at Kamaru Usman now.

How much has he leveled up since taking his talents to Colorful Colorado?

So, I have to favor the coaches and corner of Justin Gaethje should he fight the winner of the winner for the UFC Lightweight World Title. I guess that is why JG is staying quiet right now. He was exposed a bit himself against Khabib so I imagine he and Trevor are in the lab addressing those issues as we speak.

He knows that he only lost to Khabib recently and so did the other two so he should be able to hold his place in line. Michael Chandler got the shot over him which I think just lit an even hotter fire under Gaethje who I expect to return better than ever whenever we see him.

Against Charles, though, I couldn’t make him a betting favorite nor do I think the online sportsbooks would either.

I have Charles up at (-160) in this spot.

Justin is going to give Charles too much space and time or at least more than Dustin would, in my opinion. It would be a great fight but I have to side with the champion here, especially considering he has a super clear path to victory if he can take this fight to the mat and submit Gaethje.

Handicap:
Charles Oliveira
-160
Justin Gaethje
+130
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Conor McGregor vs Charles Oliveira

The Mac is back, baby! No, he’s not. It is the year of the Olive.

Conor, who just had his third child somehow, is starting his official camp for Dustin Poirier about now. I guess the birth of his child is coming at the perfect time but I imagine he is leaving them for this camp.

I know that’s what he said he would do but right after the birth of his kid has to be hard on him and his wife Dee as well.

Can I say something?

I really miss the old Conor McGregor and not in the sense that everyone else is talking about. They think the old Conor was a jerk who pushed people’s buttons in order to get them emotional and therefore go into a fight with him already compromised before the opening bell.

I miss the Conor McGregor that talked about the book The Secret. The philosopher Conor is the guy I want to come back.

I know that recently, McGregor was recognized as the highest paid athlete in the world in 2020 and it wasn’t even close!

That is going to make it highly difficult for any man or woman to remain gritty day in and day out and not get lazy. I heard Sean Strickland, a rising star in the UFC’s Middleweight Division, say that the natural state of the human is be scared.

That is what keeps up alive!

That is why it is so hard to fight at this level. It is more mental than physical and soon there will be only superathletes at the top of every division. I think Conor has lost that mental edge and I can’t say I blame him.

I love this quote from Conor and it fits rather well with my life, at the moment. I love my job and I am working around the clock right now. I am obsessed and we have been tasting success for a while now.

He may not be winning all of his fights but the man is winning at life and his smile seems very genuine. With all that said, can he beat Charles Oliveira? Absolutely! He can snipe anyone in the division.

Another old Conor that we need to see is the one who valued movement over everything. I realize that he had to get thicker and thus slower to defend the constant wrestling attack he faced from Khabib and will face from potential future opponents.

Please Note:
He did get slower, though, much slower. And I have seen some of his Muay Thai and I don’t like it to be frank. I think Charles has a much better pedigree in that sense and would be able to land some powerful kicks to the legs of the Irishman.

McGregor is only a threat here with his hands, really, and Charles is a threat everywhere else including with the takedown. His wrestling is much better than it used to be and the man is really coming into his own. He is going to be tough to beat.

Handicap:
Charles Oliveira
-170
Conor McGregor
+135
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In Conclusion

I would pay good money to see any of these three matchups and, of course, the potential Khabib fight as well but that should go without saying.

Assuming we never see The Eagle fly into the Octagon again, I have to say that Dustin Poirier has the best chance to dethrone the current world champion at 155 pounds, Charles Oliveira.

There is the Islam Makhachev situation.

Everyone knows he is coming but like to pretend that he is not, at least just for a little while longer. Islam is going to be a problem but jsut to note, I would still favor Charles in a fight over him.

Please Note:
His wrestling and overall grappling game is outstanding but he hasn’t proven that he can hang on the mat with such a high level black belt who is also a well rounded mixed martial artist who will hit you with more elbows than you can count within a minute of being on top of him…

And that’s just the distraction…

PLACE YOUR BETS NOW!

https://www.thesportsgeek.com/blog/is-charles-oliveira-the-best-lightweight-on-the-planet/

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