Coach explains why Charles Oliveira turned down Islam Makhachev rematch at UFC 283: “There’s an emotional stress”
Charles Oliveira’s coach and manager Diego Lima has revealed his student turned down an immediate rematch with Islam Makhachev.
Back at UFC 280 last month, Charles Oliveira was submitted by Islam Makhachev in the main event of the evening. The result, as we know, meant that Makhachev captured the UFC lightweight championship.
For two years, Charles Oliveira was seen as the king of the division. Alas, now, he’s left to pick up the pieces after a dominant submission defeat.
Nobody really knew what to expect from Charles’ next move. Many expected him to take some time off, at least, and it appears as if that’s exactly what he’s been doing.
However, it’s now been revealed by his team that ‘Do Bronx’ was offered the chance to have a quick turnaround in order to challenge Makhachev for his strap at UFC 283 in Brazil.
During a recent interview with Super Lutas, Diego Lima explained why that won’t be happening.
Team Oliveira turned down Makhachev rematch at UFC 283 due to ‘emotional stress,’ says coach https://t.co/ZEKoyKK0IV
— Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) November 29, 2022
“When we were going to face Makhachev,” Lima said. “we showed a lot of interest in fighting him in Rio. One week after [UFC 280], the UFC got in touch with us. They gave us the opportunity to fight [Makhachev] in Rio. They have always been really good to us. We have really good talks. It was up to us to accept or not.
Oliveira’s next step
“I talked it over with Charles. He’s not injured, but there’s an emotional stress. It’s way beyond physical. Charles is the only fighter that has faced all the top 5 guys within a year. Champs normally hide, they want to fight once a year. That’s not Charles, but Rio is way too close now. We prefer to give Charles a well-deserved vacation.”
Quotes via Bloody Elbow
What is next for Charles Oliveira? Let us know in the comments, BJPENN Nation!
