Charles Oliveira Wants UFC Title Shot With Diego Lopes Win

UFC BMF champion Charles Oliveira says that he wants to fight for the UFC lightweight title next if he beats Diego Lopes at UFC 335.

Oliveira puts his BMF title on the line against Lopes in the main event of UFC 335, which is set for December 12 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Should “Do Bronxs” win that fight, then he wants to fight for the UFC lightweight title in his next bout, whether that be against current UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje or for a vacant belt if Gaethje retires.

He even thinks he should jump past Arman Tsarukyan in the title shot queue for the next crack at 155 lbs.

Charles Oliveira Wants UFC Lightweight Title Shot

Speaking to MMAFighting.com, Oliveira made it clear he wants to fight for the UFC lightweight title in his next bout, and he thinks he should pass Tsarukyan since he believes he draws more eyeballs.

“I think Arman is there to fight for the title. However, if we’re going to talk about name value, what do I think? I think I sell a lot more than Arman. So I could move ahead of Arman. There’s this thing with Gaethje, that he could retire. If he retires, there’s no other path to take. After this fight, it would definitely be me and Arman fighting for the title. So, in reality, without a shadow of a doubt, we’re waiting on a guy who needs to decide his next step,” Oliveira said.

“A fight between Charles Oliveira and Diego Lopes will certainly be explosive. If I win this fight, I would definitely be next in line, regardless of whether Gaethje comes back or not, because that would be a very big fight that sells really well. I think Justin Gaethje needs to see what the path is, whether he’s going to fight or not, whether he’s going to retire, so we can understand what the next step is.”

Charles Oliveira Comments on Justin Gaethje’s UFC Future

While Gaethje has not yet decided if he will fight again or not, Oliveira said that he will accept whatever decision the champion makes, as he has nothing but respect for Gaethje. So if “The Highlight” wants to give up his belt and walk into the sunset, Oliveira would understand it, though he thinks Gaethje can still compete at the highest level of the sport. Ultimately, it will be his call.

“I also understand his side of saying, ‘Man, I’ve already had great fights, I’ve built a great history, and wanting to retire.’ But it’s not me or you or someone else to say. It’s him with himself, right? It’s up to him to understand what the next step is, whether now is the time to stop and retire. To sit down and reflect. As far as I’m concerned, I respect him tremendously. He’s a guy who has made great history and had great fights, so if he retires, he will receive a standing ovation. If he keeps fighting, he will certainly receive a standing ovation for the history he has made,” Oliveira said.

This article was originally published on HEAVY

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