MMA
Will the UFC have a three-time champion for the first time in history? The lightweight king would like to try
In the past, Henry Cejudo had his sights set on winning belts in three weight classes in the UFC, but in the end, he only dominated two weight classes. Now the current lightweight king Charles Oliveira would like to try to reach that milestone.
In the past, Henry Cejudo had his sights set on winning belts in three weight classes in the UFC, but in the end, he only dominated two weight classes. Now the current lightweight king Charles Oliveira would like to try to reach that milestone.
To dominate three weight classes? Nothing easy in any MMA organization. Ivan Buchinger wanted to try to do it here, and Henry Cejudo has tried to do it in the UFC in the past. The former got injured before the title fight, the latter retired.
But now Charles Oliveira, whose appetite seems to grow with his food, would like to attempt this milestone. Having won and defended the lightweight belt in 2021, he would now like to dominate both the featherweight and welterweight divisions.
He has been talking about welter fairly recently, and would like to measure his strength against the unbeaten Kamaru Usman, who many have already broken their teeth on. But now there is an opportunity in the featherweight division as well.
The UFC has announced a title fight between Alexander Volkanovsky and Max Holloway, but the latter is injured and someone else will have to take over the challenger’s role. Oliveira, in his own words, would be happy to do it.
“If I had the chance to go for the featherweight championship, I would agree to it immediately. I think I could lose weight. I was close to the lightweight limit, which is 155 pounds, the last time I lost, even though I still had a lot of water in my body. I think I could easily make 145 pounds,” the Brazilian expressed to MMA Fighting.
And what did he say about the welterweight? “He’s definitely in the game. But moving lower would be easier and more realistic for me. I’d like to be a double champion at least,” Oliveira added.
Will he be able to fulfill, or better yet surpass, his dream?
Source: UFC, MMA Fighting