“He’s on a Different Level”- Gilbert Burns Breaks Down Why Charles Oliveira Will Secure a Win Against Islam Makhachev

Lightweight king Charles Oliveira is slowly cementing his place as one of the most decorated champions not just at 155-pounds but in the UFC. ‘Do Bronx’ recently defended his belt for the second time with a slick submission win over Justin Gaethje. Naturally, after an impressive win for any champion, the question of ‘what’s next’ pops up. In Oliveira’s case, it seems extremely likely that his next challenger will be Islam Makhachev for the vacant UFC belt. 

In a recent interview, former lightweight Gilbert Burns shared his thoughts on his compatriot’s chances against Makhachev. He said, “He looked great,” said Burns. “For sure, he got knocked down. I saw a couple of guys say, ‘Oh he got knocked down, he got dropped [and] he lost before’ but that was before. What happens is a couple guys have a record built, they have a lot of easy fights and they come with a lot of fights and undefeated, but this guy was in the fire since he was so young. He was in the UFC fighting the best guys. For sure, he got a couple of losses, but Charles Oliveira right now in 2022? Wow.”

‘Durinho’ continued, “And I’m a fan of the division,” continued Burns. “If it were me, if Burns was the matchmaker, I would make Islam and Oliveira, for sure. And that’s a fight that’s very intriguing. I still believe Oliveira can get a win because the striking, the pressure that he does, the jiu-jitsu. People say, ‘Oh, but the sambo’ and yeah, I got it but Oliveira is huge for the division… I think he’s on a different level.”

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Charles Oliveira vs Islam Makhachev a fight for the ages to take place later this year?

In the post-fight press conference at UFC 274, Dana White stated that he will most likely be working on a fight between Oliveira and Makhachev next. 

Needless to say, this is the biggest fight that could be made in the lightweight division at the moment in terms of talent. An 11-fight win streak vs a 10-fight win streak, both men in their prime. It does not get better than this.