Charles Oliveira has confessed "bluffing" an injury with the intent to manipulate the timing of his fight with Islam Machchev.
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Charles Oliveira has openly confessed to employing a strategic “bluff” regarding an injury with the intent to manipulate the timing and location of his upcoming title match against Islam Makhachev.
Scheduled for October, Oliveira is set to contend with Makhachev for the UFC lightweight championship in Abu Dhabi. This rematch marks a year since the duo went head-to-head for the title in the same arena: the Etihad Arena. In their initial encounter, Makhachev secured victory by submitting former champion Oliveira, claiming the vacant gold.
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There was a moment when it seemed that Oliveira’s readiness for the October fight might be in question, sparking speculation among fans about whether Makhachev would indeed defend his title in Abu Dhabi. However, Oliveira has recently disclosed that his condition wasn’t as dire as previously indicated – or perhaps not injured at all.
“What changed is that I just learned how to play. Now I’m playing,” Oliveira said on The MMA Hour on Monday. “What I knew was that the UFC was planning to maybe have a fight in Brazil in November, so I was trying to push it to November.”
“I was just playing with them. Obviously it didn’t work, so now I’m fighting in October, but that’s what I was doing: I was bluffing.”
Following his defeat to Makhachev, Oliveira made a remarkable comeback by securing a knockout victory against Beneil Dariush in June. Prior to that, “Do Bronx” had held the lightweight championship from May 2021 to May 2022, before the title was subsequently taken away from him.
Oliveira’s title was revoked due to his weight falling just short of the mark on the day before his slated defense against Justin Gaethje. Despite this setback, the Brazilian rebounded by submitting Gaethje, a victory that paved the way for his initial showdown with Makhachev.
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