Charles Oliveira Calls for Ranked Opponent, Names Location

Charles Oliveira has never looked better, and he is now ready for his level of competition to reflect the strides he’s made in the Octagon.

Last Saturday at UFC Rochester, Charles Oliveira defeated Nik Lentz for the second time. There were some who questioned why Oliveira was paired with Lentz to begin with, given the fact that Oliveira already holds a victory over Lentz and also had another victory over Nik Lentz in 2011 that was later overturned to a no contest due to an illegal knee. Oliveira would defeat Lentz more convincingly in the official victory in the 2015 rematch, and even more convincingly in the trilogy fight last Saturday. Charles Oliveira laid out in a recent interview why that was so (Transcript/Translation via Bloody Elbow):

“We fought a long time ago, years ago,” Oliveira began in an interview with Combate. “We evolved a lot, but I thought I had evolved much more than him. That day was all about the strategy my coaches came up with, I was able to pull it off in the Octagon. I deserve to be in the top 10, to fight a ranked guy. No names, just someone in the top 10 or top 5. That’s what I want and I will ask the UFC for it.”

Currently ranked #11 himself while on an impressive five-fight winning streak, requesting a ranked opponent certainly seems reasonable, particular after fighting a high-risk fight against Nik Lentz, where Lentz appeared to have everything to gain. With Lentz dispatched and Oliveira right outside the top 10, he knows that he deserves a top 10 opponent, and he also has a destination for he would like the bout to take place:

“I would really like fight in Uruguay,” Oliveira said. “Pepe (UFC welterweight Laureano Staropoli) asked to fight there and we are training partners. It would be really good to fight on the same card. If there is a chance to fight a ranked guy in Uruguay, that would be great for me. If I fight in Uruguay, I want to finish the year fighting in Sao Paulo, with four fights this year. It would be rea lly good for me.”