Charles Oliveira is having none of Belal Muhammad’s recent accusations regarding his withdrawal from UFC 294 earlier this month (Oct. 21, 2023).
UFC’s inevitable return to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates was supposed to be a shot at redemption for the former Lightweight champion, Oliveira. “Do Bronx” lost his title nearly one full year before UFC 294 opposite the reigning titlist, Islam Makhachev, as the two were matched once again for the most recent date.
Unfortunately for Oliveira, a cut suffered at the end of his training camp just 11 days’ out forced him to pull out of the fight. The Brazilian legend has had his heart questioned throughout his career, mostly for in-Octagon performances, but this time Welterweight contender, Muhammad, noted how he thought Oliveira “chose not to fight.”
“I’ve been at this for 13 years,” Oliveira said on The MMA Hour. “I didn’t come in yesterday to the UFC. I’ve been in this for 13 years and I’m going to tell you the real talk here: They want to surf my wave. That’s what’s happening. They just want to show up and just make themselves known and seen and heard. Think about this: Who would actually make up or cause a situation in which he had such a big and deep cut the day of actually traveling. These dudes, all they do is talk s—t, that’s what they do all the time, and at the end of the day, I don’t pay attention to them.
“For the UFC, when I told the UFC what happened and actually explained the situation to them, the support that I’ve gotten from the UFC, they understand who I am,” he continued. “They understand who Charles Oliveira is. They understand that I’m already thinking about the training I need to do, everything that I need to do to get back, and everything that I need to do to become a champion again. They understand this. In reality, I really don’t give a damn what people say.”
Oliveira earned his rematch with Makhachev by stopping the momentum of fellow top contender, Beneil Dariush, with strikes in round one of their UFC 289 showdown (watch highlights) in June 2023. In the end, Makhachev went on to successfully defend his crown with a first round head kick and punches technical knockout of Featherweight champion, Alexander Volkanovski (watch highlights). The Oliveira rematch is still expected to be next for Makhachev despite the initial date falling through.
This story originally appeared on MMA Mania
