Charles Oliveira is confident in his skills and where those skills will take him should they carry him past Tony Ferguson at UFC 256, and that’s directly to a lightweight title shot.
Charles Oliveira is currently riding a seven-fight winning streak. Typically, a winning streak like that would net a world title shot with no questions asked. But Oliveira competes in arguably the deepest, toughest division in the UFC: the lightweight division.
Charles Oliveira’s UFC 256 opponent Tony Ferguson knows a thing or two about lengthy winning streaks and how they do not necessarily translate to a world title shot. In Ferguson’s case, though, there were external, almost mystic circumstances that have contributed to him not earning a shot at the undisputed world title. But Oliveira believes that neither he nor Ferguson have to worry about anything standing in the way between the winner of their fight and a world title shot.
“It’s very clear: Whoever wins this fight is the next title contender,” Oliveira said told MMA Fighting. “I have to stay focused and concentrated. He was coming off 12 wins in a row and I think he made a mistake against Justin Gaethje, so we can’t make mistakes in there.
“Winning this fight I’ll be the next challenger, no doubt,” he said. “Seven wins in a row at the moment. It will be eight after this, and I don’t plan on leaving it in the judges’ hands. It will be eight finishes in a row. There’s no way I have to wait. I’m the next challenger.”
As it happens, the entire lightweight division currently has to wait for answers regarding whether or not the current champion Khabib Nurmagomedov will even return. His decision will clearly impact the winner of Charles Oliveira’s bout against Ferguson, but the winner of the fight may fight for the title next whether it is against Khabib or against another top contender for a vacant championship.
Do you think the winner of Charles Oliveira vs. Tony Ferguson will receive a title shot in their next fight?
