Charles Oliveira may be short on time ahead of his UFC 256 bout against Tony Ferguson, but he is high on confidence before the biggest fight of his career.
Tony Ferguson was looking for a fight to end the year at UFC 256, and while Michael Chandler was widely expected to be Ferguson’s opponent, Oliveira would later fill that role after Chandler was deemed unavailable. Oliveira is a worthy opponent, to say the very least. The Brazilian is currently riding an impressive seven-fight winning streak and is currently tied for #6 in the lightweight rankings. At only 31 years old, Oliveira has hit his prime and is currently performing at the highest level of his 12-year MMA career, and he believes that December 12 is the date when the entire MMA universe will take notice.
“I’m taking this fight on less than 20 days’ notice, but it’s a chance to display my talent and show I’m ready to fight any top 5 ranked guy, like I’ve been saying for a while now”, Oliveira told UFC.com . “The time has come. I will shock the world on Dec. 12.”
As confident as Charles Oliveira is leading up to the fight, he is not expecting an easy win. Underestimating El Cucuy would not be wise for any man, regardless of the momentum racked up prior to the fight. Nevertheless, the degree of difficulty will not alter the outcome of the fight according to Oliveira.
“I’m expecting this fight to be a war, because we’re both good on the feet and on the ground,” Oliveira predicted. “We both like to fight, we both move forward”, he said. “Fans can be sure this is going to be a war, but they can also be sure that when it’s done, my arm will be raised. It’s my moment. I respect Ferguson in every way – he’s tough, a fantastic guy – but now it’s my time.”
Charles Oliveira most recently defeated Kevin Lee via submission in March, a feeling Tony Ferguson is all too familiar with. Should Oliveira submit Tony Ferguson, he would be the first man to do so in the UFC. Surely, Oliveira will take a win any way that it comes, though, because a victory for Oliveira at UFC 256 would put him right in the middle of world title conversations and would undoubtedly be the biggest win of his career.
Do you think Charles Oliveira will “shock the world” at UFC 256 when he takes on Tony Ferguson?
