Khabib Nurmagomedov claims Charles Oliveira is ‘starting to feel the pressure’ of fighting Islam Makhachev
Khabib Nurmagomedov thinks Charles Oliveira has a ton of pressure on him and it’s starting to get to him.
Oliveira is looking to get his lightweight title back as he’s set to face Islam Makhachev in the main event of UFC 280 for the vacant belt as Oliveira was stripped of the belt for missing weight. It’s a massive fight for the division, and for Nurmagomedov, he knows it is a tough fight for Makhachev as he knows how good Oliveira is.
“Well, listen, first of all, how can you disparage the man who won the Fighter of the Year award in 2022? No one is disparaging him,” Nurmagomedov told Sambo Says. “11 fights in a row he has won with so many finishes. I think it’s silly to think we’re underestimating this fight. This is a very hard fight. We always referred to him as a champion. If we say that we want to finish the fight early, I don’t see any arrogance in that at all. We have a plan. We want to finish the fight early. I think that Charles also has a plan and that he also wants to finish Islam. I think he also wants to hit his opponent in the face, use his kicks, knees, punches, elbow. Right? He wants to choke his opponent out, break their bones, etc. That’s the reason we step into the Octagon, right?”
In the lead-up to the fight, Charles Oliveira has talked about how he doesn’t like the arrogance coming from Makhachev and his team. Yet, Khabib Nurmagomedov says that is not true, instead, he thinks the pressure is getting to Oliveira and that will lead to Makhachev getting the stoppage in.
“No one insulted him. Definitely not Islam, he has never insulted anyone. I don’t see any kind of arrogance here. I simply think he’s starting to feel the pressure of the fight… On the 22nd of October, we will step into the cage and we plan on finishing him whether he likes it or not.”
