Charles Oliveira has hit again at claims that his struggle for the BMF title from Max Holloway at UFC 326 was “boring,” labeling criticism from his friends as jealousy and defending the sport plan that led to a dominant five-round victory. In a brand new interview, he joked that perhaps critics ought to inform him upfront which martial arts they wish to see. As a result of if clearly successful is not sufficient, he feels there’s nothing extra he can do.
At UFC 326 in Las Vegas, Oliveira and Holloway reversed their rivalry that began in 2015, this time with BMF’s belt on the road in the principle occasion. The Brazilian took management early, scoring takedowns in each spherical and turning the match right into a clinic with high management and chain grappling whereas interweaving sufficient stand-up to maintain Holloway guessing.
Oliveira repeatedly dragged Holloway to the mat, gaining place and searching for submissions, whereas Holloway targeted on survival and protection relatively than extending the trade of blows. Holloway had some moments, briefly coming again on high within the fifth inning, however struggled to mount a sustained assault as Oliveira remained aggressive and counterattacked from the underside to regain management.
Though the end result was lopsided, the ambiance within the area turned tense, with boos erupting in the course of the lengthy floor sport. Many followers and a few on-line fighters have argued that BMF title fights ought to characteristic prolonged stand-up exchanges and high-risk trades, pointing to Holloway’s earlier struggle with Justin Gaethje at UFC 300 as commonplace for the belt.
A number of celebrities, together with Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz and Dan Hooker, publicly criticized Oliveira for leaning too closely on grappling and questioned whether or not his model match the BMF label. On social media, some viewers even floated the thought of adjusting BMF’s ruleset in future matches to encourage or pressure extra hitting-oriented contests.
Charles Oliveira fights again
Oliveira responded to the criticism in an interview with Brazilian media outlet Orjal da Ruta, which was broadly shared on social platforms. He claimed in Portuguese that nobody had ever dominated Holloway in such a means, stressing that earlier opponents with profitable takedowns normally watched the Hawaiian get to his toes and resume his trademark late rally.
“Truthfully, for a fighter, for an actual skilled, to say it was a nasty match…I believe it is jealousy. I believe the following factor you ask is, ‘What is the plan? What would you like me to do? Muay Thai? Judo? Kung Fu? Browsing? As a result of if I’m going on the market and win the match and it is not ok, there’s nothing else I can do.’
He famous that he mixed putting and grappling relatively than relying solely on jiu-jitsu, claiming he landed the most effective punches and created the simplest combos, which he backed up with takedowns and prolonged management. Oliveira went as far as to say that he believes the rating might fairly be 10-8 in each spherical based mostly on his stage of dominance.
Talking on to his fellow professionals, Oliveira mentioned that when a fighter calls such a efficiency a “dangerous match,” he appears to be like with envy relatively than evaluation. Then he says a line that resonated with followers. I joked that subsequent time I would ask upfront if I used to be anticipating Muay Thai, Judo, Kung Fu, or Browsing. As a result of if a convincing victory nonetheless leaves you unhappy, I do not know what else the critics need.
For now, Oliveira holds the BMF belt and has a transparent victory within the file books, even when the strategy continues to divide opinion between those that prioritize ending and brawling and people, just like the Brazilian, who’re content material with overwhelming management.
