Charles Oliveira has not tasted victory within the Octagon since May 2022.
He seeks to alter that at UFC 289.
Oliveira (33–9, 1 NC) fights within the 289 co-main occasion towards Beneil Dariush, a light-weight bout with title ramifications. A win for Dariush (22-4-1), who’s trying to prolong the streak to eight, would give him a title shot towards reigning champ Islam Makhachev—the person who defeated Oliveira in October for the belt.
The loss to Makhachev ended a outstanding 11-fight win streak for Oliveira. It was a disappointing exhibiting, with Makhachev forcing his will upon Oliveira earlier than ending the bout by submission within the second spherical.
“I’m not the champ anymore,” says Oliveira, talking by a translator. “That changes everything. I’m waking up early, I’m staying up late thinking about getting my belt back. It’s always on my mind. Getting the belt back, that’s my focus. That’s my goal. With a good performance on Saturday, I’ll be fighting for the title.”
Whether Oliveira is subsequent in line, even with a win, just isn’t a certainty. Another bout with title implications occurs later this summer season when Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje meet in July at UFC 2921. Though each Poirier and Gaethje are contenders, Oliveira has an edge, contemplating he beat each throughout the previous yr and a half.
This bout towards Dariush at 289 is must-see. It is essentially the most important battle of Dariush’s profession, a pathway to his long-awaited title shot, however Oliveira is assured that his assault will overwhelm him.
“Dariush is a great fighter,” says Oliveira. “He’s one of the best in the world. If he thinks he will dominate me, he is wrong. I will be the one leaving with my hand raised.”
As compelling a bout as that is, Oliveira was keen to attend longer for a battle if his opponent was Conor McGregor. Yet that was not going to materialize, as Oliveira believes McGregor wished no a part of that bout. Instead, McGregor will battle Michael Chandler to conclude the latest season of The Ultimate Fighter.
“Everyone knows that Conor is avoiding me,” says Oliveira. “His fight against Chandler will be great, but everyone can tell he is avoiding me. Personally, I think Chandler will win. Conor is very strategic, and he can fight—but he won’t fight me.”
With a bout towards McGregor not going to occur, Oliveira is protecting his deal with Dariush.
“I need to win on Saturday,” says Oliveira. “I’m hungry to get my belt back.”
Kai Kara-France did nearly every part proper—but nonetheless misplaced
Amir Albazi defeated Kara-France on Saturday within the UFC on ESPN fundamental occasion, a befuddling end to a battle that ought to have been awarded to Kara-France.
Despite accumulating a convincing benefit in strikes (133-64 in strikes, 99-43 in important strikes), Kara-France misplaced to Albazi by break up determination.
Who’s worse UFC judges or NRL Refs?😅
— Kai Kara France (@kaikarafrance) June 4, 2023
How did that occur?
Kara-France (24-11, 1 NC) landed a better share of great strikes. He landed two takedowns and stopped eight of Albazi’s 9 makes an attempt. A key distinction was Albazi’s takedown within the third spherical, which put him on the cusp of a submission victory, but Kara-France was capable of scramble out. Albazi’s largest energy was his six-plus minutes of management time, however Kara-France landed extra pictures and did extra injury over the course of 5 rounds.
Start interviewing the judges after fights.
Hold them accountable for his or her work.— Israel Adesanya (@stylebender) June 4, 2023
Israel Adesanya, who’s a City Kickboxing teammate of Kara-France, tweeted his disgust with the judging: “I tweeted that before even seeing the scorecards because I knew them two will f— it up!! Hoooow many times will they rob athletes of their moments of glory, if their money, their livelihood for their family.”
For these , there was much more to that tweet. Adesanya did observe that choose Mike Bell scored the battle correctly. Bell’s scorecard was marked 48–47 in favor of Kara-France, whereas Chris Lee and Sal D’Amato scored it the identical however in favor of Albazi. It is almost not possible to know how Lee scored the fourth spherical, 10–9 for Albazi.
The win is essential. Albazi (17–1) now places himself in title competition. This is his sixth straight win, fifth in a row within the Octagon, and he will probably be ranked within the high three flyweights within the division. Inversely, it’s particularly painful for Kara-France. This marks his second loss in a row, and he’ll want a minimum of two or three extra victories towards top-five opponents earlier than reentering the title image.
Mamed Khalidov closes out KSW 83: Colosseum 2 with knockout victory
KSW put forth an impressive card Saturday. In entrance of a packed crowd in Warsaw, the KSW 83: Colosseum 2 present stood out as a real success.
The fundamental occasion noticed Khalidov defeat Scott Askham, ending their trilogy with a memorable knockout. One of essentially the most unimaginable moments of the evening occurred early on in a heavyweight bout, when Krzysztof Głowacki knocked out Patryk Tołkaczewski from backside mount, which is such a uncommon sight to see.
KNOCKED OUT from FULL MOUNT! 🤯
Former WBO cruiserweight champ 🇵🇱 Krzysztof Głowacki is harmful from wherever!!
XTB #KSWColosseum2 pic.twitter.com/7pZI71yaPX
— KSW (@KSW_MMA) June 3, 2023
Highlights additionally included Artur Szpilka knocking out former five-time World’s Strongest Man Mariusz Pudzianowski, and Pawel Pawlak defeating Tomasz Romanowski to win the middleweight title. The low level was Marian Ziółkowski vacating the light-weight title after apparently struggling an damage backstage earlier than the battle. As a results of that and additional inactivity, he forfeited the belt.
The card was constructed round the primary occasion. Khalidov and Askham (19-6) had break up their first two bouts, however there was little doubt in regards to the end of their third assembly. Khalidov (37-8-2) added to his good profession with one other main-event victory, ending the bout with a vicious swap kick to Askham’s skull.
WOOOW!!! MAMED KHALIDOV!!!
He does it once more!!! XTB #KSWColosseum2 pic.twitter.com/IIAZGTfZ8i
— KSW (@KSW_MMA) June 3, 2023
The 42-year-old Khalidov has had super success all through his 19-year profession. He is among the most embellished fighters within the sport, although much less recognized as a result of he has by no means fought within the UFC. If he ever did battle within the Octagon, he is aware of precisely who he want to match up towards.
“I have always admired the likes of Anderson Silva, Lyoto Machida and Shogun Rua,” says Khalidov. “Any of these would have made for a great fight for fans.”
Khalidov has carried out at an elite stage for practically 20 years. He attributes his longevity to a wholesome inside and exterior.
“I live a clean and healthy life, and I make sure my training is structured in a way that helps me improve without taking too much damage,” says Khalidov. “I also enjoy life. I do not take things too seriously, and I do not let any stress into my life. Being positive has such a major impact on your overall health.”
The overwhelming majority of Khalidov’s fights have taken place in Poland. Fifteen years in the past, he made his U.S. combating debut in Hammond, Ind. Asked whether or not he would ever battle once more within the states, Khalidov shared that it pursuits him.
“Fighting in America in Elite XC against Jason Guida, who is the brother of Clay Guida, was a great experience and one I will always remember,” says Khalidov. “Hopefully KSW will come to America one day and I can compete on that card.”
Justin Barrasso may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.
Source: www.si.com
