Charles Oliveira takes aim at top lightweight contenders after Rafael Fiziev booking: ‘They run the other way’

Charles Oliveira took aim at some lightweight contenders after he was booked to return at UFC Rio.

Oliveira was knocked out by Ilia Topuria for the lightweight title at the end of June. Despite being knocked out, Oliveira will make a quick turnaround as he’ll take on Rafael Fiziev in the main event of UFC Rio on October 11.

It’s a step down in the rankings for Charles Oliveira as he says none of the top lightweight contenders wanted to go to Brazil to fight him.

“Which of the top guys would come fight me in Brazil? None of them would come here to fight in Brazil,” Oliveira said to AG Fight. “You know what’s going to happen today? When you release this clip, a bunch of them will say ‘I would, I would!’ But in reality, I’m not a guy who goes around playing games.

“I was offered names and they didn’t want it,” Oliveira added. “So today when you release this, these guys will tweet ‘Coward, I wanted it, he didn’t want it!’ But it’s a lie. My whole life it’s been like this. They poke around, talk shit from the other side. When I say ‘Come on, I’m here,’ they run the other way.”

So, Oliveira ended up taking on Fiziev as ‘Do Bronx’ says his goal was to fight back home in Brazil for his friends and family.

Charles Oliveira rips Dan Hooker

One person that Charles Oliveira wasn’t happy with is Dan Hooker.

Oliveira and Hooker have taken shots at each other in the past, but the Brazilian says ‘The Hangman’ had no plans of fighting him.

“This guy is just a talker, for a long time,” Oliveira said. “This soap opera has been going on for years. He talks and talks and talks and it never happens. So it’s all talk. That’s the reality. He just talks, a guy who speaks a lot of nonsense on the internet. But when he’s called he doesn’t go.”

Ultimately, Oliveira is just happy Fiziev accepted the fight so he can fight at UFC Rio in Brazil.