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Michael Bisping, a UFC Hall of Famer, is curious.
Is Charles Oliveira really the all-time best lightweight? On his YouTube account, Bisping stated. “Because he could very well be. Everything is subject to what transpires in Abu Dhabi.”
UFC 280 | Abu Dhabi
The vacant championship Oliveira never lost, at least not in the octagon, will be contested by Islam Makhachev at UFC 280. Prior to his scheduled championship defense against Justin Gaethje at UFC 274 this past May, Oliveira was stripped of the title after arriving at the scale at 155.5 pounds amid questions about its veracity.
Gaethje was eventually choked out by Oliveira (33-8 MMA, 21-8 UFC), proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that he remains the finest lightweight in the world despite no longer holding the belt. With a win over Makhachev on Saturday, Oliveira will have the chance to reclaim his title as the greatest lightweight of all time, surpassing Khabib Nurmagomedov, who is in the UFC Hall of Fame.
The greatest lightweight ever? If Charles defeats Islam this weekend, I believe that is now Charles’s to claim. I absolutely do,” remarked Bisping. “I believe he will surpass him because he has eliminated all front-runners. Khabib isn’t at fault, but you can’t ignore the statistics, the momentum, or the history Oliveira is making.
Oliveira, 32, has won 11 straight fights against Gaethje, Dustin Poirier, Michael Chandler, Tony Ferguson, and Kevin Lee. Compared to earlier in his career, when he had suffered eight defeats, Oliveira has appeared like an entirely different fighter. Oliveira ranks fifth in UFC history with his 21 promotional victories and holds the records for the most stoppage victories (19) and submission victories (16).
With a victory over Makhachev, Nurmagomedov’s case as the lightweight GOAT would be strengthened. Still, his record is unmatched as he concluded his career unblemished at 29-0 overall and 13-0 in the UFC before declaring his retirement in 2020. His victories over Gaethje, Poirier, Conor McGregor, Rafael dos Anjos, Al Iaquinta, and Edson Barboza stand out among his victories.
Bisping about Khabib
According to Bisping, here’s the argument in favor of Khabib: “His record is 29-0, 13-0 in the UFC, and he was one of the most dominant fighters the UFC has ever seen.” “In 60 fights, this man has only suffered two losses: the extremely close losses in rounds one and three to Justin Gaethje and Conor McGregor, respectively. He was never even bumped, let alone knocked to the ground.
As Bisping is eager to acknowledge Nurmagomedov’s perfect record, he ultimately has a grudge against him for quitting too soon while fresh opponents awaited their chance to destroy him.
Bisping said, “All we ever saw him do was win and crush people, but he resigned at 32 after three title defenses and two and a half years as the world champion. “That’s great, but would we have seen him lose the belt if he had stayed around longer? Would we have witnessed him being contested? We won’t ever know, and it is one of the main justifications why Khabib isn’t pound-for-pound No. 1. The truth is that he didn’t stay around long enough, which is why we pose the question. And we understand the reason. It was a really respectable motive. He made a commitment to his mother that he kept. What a dude, wow. That has my utmost respect. Would he have defeated all of these elite new competitors? Although he would have defeated some of them, could Charles have survived? We are unsure. We can only speculate.
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