Those brief respites proved valuable and prompted MMA media to talk about them as the Brazilian’s personal version of a “standing eight count,” the recovery time allotted to a boxer that has been knocked down before they wade back into the fray. UFC 280 COUNTDOWN: Full Episode | Oliveira vs Makhachev | Sterling vs Dillashaw | Yan vs O'Malley In both his fight with Gaethje and Dustin Poirier before that, “Do Bronx” was able to engineer opportunities to recover quickly by remaining on the canvas and welcoming his opponents to the ground - an invitation they understandably declined. Of late, one of the key pieces of his fights has been dealing with adversity, as Oliveira has been knocked down or hurt in the early stages of each of his last three outings. “The talkers will talk I believe in showing people what I can do.” “It’s very easy to talk,” he said in response to Gaethje’s pre-fight questioning of his heart and his abilities. In the same way that “The Champion Has a Name” has become his “campaign slogan” of sorts heading into this weekend, ahead of his last couple fights, “Talking is Easy” was the motto in advance of his clash with Gaethje and continues to be a key tenet of his approach as he readies for his next appearance. ![]() He’s never been a big talker or one to revel in his triumphs for too long, preferring instead to keep quiet, allow his efforts in the Octagon to speak for him, and move on to the next challenge. While the constant desire to focus on things in the future and not what is already behind him can sound like typical fighter-speak, Oliveira comes by it naturally. “I do not focus on things that I do not have control over what is in the past is done,” he said when asked about the lingering disappointment of being stripped of the title, maintaining the same steely, forward-focused outlook that has been ever-present as he’s risen to the top of the division over the last three years. “Now, I only focus on Islam Makhachev.” ![]() Instead, those celebrations were somewhat muted because Oliveira wasn’t presented with the belt, and now heads into his highly anticipated battle with Makhachev on Saturday fighting for a vacant title, rather than seeking to defend his belt for a third time.įREE FIGHTS: Oliveira vs Gaethje | Makhachev vs Hooker | Dillashaw vs Sandhagen | O'Malley vs Almeida | Yan vs Faber | Sterling vs Yan 2 It was the kind of performance that should have been a capstone on what has been an incredible run for the veteran, who turned 33 on Monday. He still marched out into the Octagon the following evening and stormed through Gaethje, submitting the Arizona-born contender in the first round to earn his 11th consecutive victory and third straight championship fight finish. The miss only cost Dumont a fine, but for Oliveira, it cost him his title, as well. Some fighters complained about discrepancies between the official weigh-in scale and the one used in the back to check their weights, with both Oliveira and Norma Dumont missing their contracted weights by half-a-pound.
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