Oliveira hits back at BMF critics: 'Here's the belt – take it somewhere else'
Ahead of his defence against Diego Lopes at UFC 335, Charles Oliveira refuses to be pinned to a pure slugfest – and says he would give up the BMF title if need be.
Archive image · Photo: Renan Silva / Wikimedia Commons, CC0 (cropped and resized)
Charles Oliveira won the BMF belt with a unanimous decision over Max Holloway at UFC 326 in March. According to NY Fights, critics such as Nate Diaz, Conor McGregor and Khamzat Chimaev argued that the title belongs to fighters who stand and trade.
"God Himself couldn't please everyone, so imagine me," Oliveira said in an interview with MMA Fighting, as quoted by NY Fights. "If I go out there and trade punches and get knocked out, I'm stupid because I could have used jiu-jitsu. If I go out there and use jiu-jitsu, then it sucks." If the BMF fight is only about breaking each other up, then: "Here's the belt. Take it somewhere else. That belt is not for me."
The Brazilian stressed that he will use his full skill set; all that matters to him is the win or loss on his record. On December 12, Oliveira defends the BMF title against Diego Lopes in the UFC 335 main event in Las Vegas, with Lopes making his UFC lightweight debut.