Justin Gaethje doesn’t want to hear anything about “title shot or bust” for Charles Oliveira.
With Khabib Nurmagomedov retired, fans and fighters have thrown out ideas for how the new champion will be crowned, provided the UFC officially vacates the title soon. Dustin Poirier has encountered no objections regarding his claim to a title shot with his recent résumé, punctuated with a primetime victory over Conor McGregor at UFC 257. The other name that has been thrown around as being deserving of a title shot is Charles Oliveira.
Does Charles Oliveira Really Deserve A Title Shot?
Charles Oliveira is currently on an eight-fight winning streak, which is the longest winning streak in the division (aside from the retired Nurmagomedov). But #2-ranked contender Justin Gaethje finds flaws in the argument that Oliveira deserves a title shot, mostly because he finds flaws in the streak itself.
“Sick of hearing @CharlesDoBronxs deserves anything. Other than Tony what the fuck has this dude done to get a shot at a title?” Gaethje wrote. “Credit for stacking up dubs but that’s now how this works,” he added in a follow-up comment.
If there was to be a vacant title fight, Dustin Poirier vs. Justin Gaethje 2 would make sense on paper since they are the top-two contenders in the division, so this logic could have prompted Gaethje to add his two cents on Oliveira.
Oliveira and his defenders may counter Justin Gaethje’s argument by pointing out that he holds a victory over two ranked opponents: Kevin Lee and Tony Ferguson in addition to the six other victories. Furthermore, Gaethje became interim champion with a win over Tony Ferguson, so Oliveira may feel that he should be entitled to the same opportunities after the same win.
Ultimately, such major decisions are rarely determined on Twitter, so it’s doubtful that neither Gaethje’s nor Oliveira’s opinion will sway the UFC from whatever they already have planned or will plan.
Do you agree with Justin Gaethje? Is Charles Oliveira not as deserving of a world title shot as he is being made out to be?
