Charles Oliveira Considering Future Title Shot at Featherweight
Charles Oliveira has yet to make a UFC lightweight title defense, but he’s already thinking about the future and more specifically; cutting weight for a potential title shot at featherweight.
Oliveira is fresh off his knockout win to earn the vacant UFC lightweight title at UFC 262 just weeks ago. He’s expected to face the winner of Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor for his first title defense later this year, but he has other ideas in mind.
In a recent interview with Combate, Oliveira elaborated on his plan for the rest of his UFC career and envisions an eventual return to the featherweight division, where he suffered from brutal weight cuts and tough losses during the beginning of his UFC tenure.
“If I have the opportunity to fight directly for the title, giving me time to do that, I would do well,” Oliveira said. “Today I have a good nutritionist, a good team that will help me with this and make it happen. But only if it was straight for the title.”
Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega have just wrapped up filming their time coaching The Ultimate Fighter Season 29, which premieres on Tuesday on ESPN+. The featherweight champion and top contender will battle sometime later this year, possibly as soon as September in Volkanovski’s second title defense as the belt holder.
Despite an up-and-down UFC career, Oliveira earned the lightweight belt by going on a tear after he moved up in weight following his loss to Ricardo Lamas at The Ultimate Fighter Latin America 3 Finale. He has won 10 of his last 11 fights including dominant wins over former top contenders Kevin Lee and Tony Ferguson.
In addition to earning the lightweight belt, Oliveira broke the record for most finishes in the UFC with 17; earning the TKO victory over Michael Chandler in Round 2.
Oliveira’s featherweight ambitions are curious given his past issues with cutting weight to 145 pounds along with his mixed record in the division. But times have changed, and time has catapulted Oliveira into one of the most well-rounded UFC champions in recent history.
What do you think about Charles Oliveira thinking about eventually pursuing a title shot in the UFC featherweight division?
