Charles Oliveira claps back at Arman Tsarukyan pre-UFC 300: ‘He doesn’t know how bad I want to be champion’
Charles Oliveira is ready to let his fighting do his talking against Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 300 on Saturday.
Oliveira is set to fight Tsarukyan on Saturday in a potential No. 1 contender fight at lightweight. It’s a very intriguing matchup, and in the lead-up to the fight, Tsarukyan took aim at Oliveira’s record as he said the Brazilian is limited to taking his opponents’ backs and submitting them with rear-naked chokes.
“People say what they want, right?” Charles Oliveira said in an interview with MMA Fighting. “If I only have that, and I have 16 submissions on my [UFC] record, I guess they were all from the back, right? And I guess the knockouts I have weren’t knockouts, they were submissions. It’s too much bulls*** they talk. It was said that I’m a quitter, but I was knocked down, walked forward and knocked them out. I also heard I’m not hungry, that I don’t want it anymore. He doesn’t know how bad I want to become champion again.”
Oliveira knows Tsarukyan is a solid well-rounded opponent so the Brazilian is expecting a very tough fight on Saturday at UFC 300.
Charles Oliveira vows to finish Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 300
Charles Oliveira enters his UFC 300 scrap as the betting underdog, but the Brazilian has confidence he can pull off the upset.
Oliveira believes he has all the tools to defeat Tsarukyan, and thinks he can finish him to have another statement win.
“Of course, I want to knock him out. I want to submit him. I want the win, and I don’t want to leave it to the judges. The worst thing that can happen is leave it to the judges, so I will go for it the entire time. Of course, very strategically, making things happen. He’s super tough, has good striking and good takedowns, but I’m 100 percent ready for this. I’m not worried about what Arman can bring, but with what I can do. It’s all about me being happy and bold, and having my hand raised.”
If Oliveira wins, he thinks he could get a title shot next, but isn’t ruling out being Conor McGregor’s return opponent.
