For the last several months, the UFC lightweight title has been in a state of disarray. Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov retired from the sport this past November, however, UFC President Dana White has yet to vacate the title and continues to attempt to lure Nurmagomedov back for one last fight. Thus far, his efforts have proved useless and meanwhile the lightweight division continues to pile up with contenders looking for a shot at 155-pound gold. Dustin Poirier, Michael Chandler, Justin Gaethje, and Charles Oliveira all have a legitimate claim to fight for the lightweight title. But according to UFC commentator Joe Rogan, one of those men stands out above the others to him.
In December, Oliveira won a unanimous decision over former interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson in a bout that was entirely uncompetitive. It was a coming out party for Oliveira who is now on an eight-fight winning streak at lightweight, with seven of those wins coming by way of stoppage. Oliviera’s run has been so impressive that Rogan says he wants to see “Do Bronx” fight for the title over any other competitor at lightweight.
“Watching him do that to Tony, I was like, ‘I can’t even believe what I am seeing,’” Rogan said on his podcast recently. “He just dominated every second of that fight. It was bananas.
“That would have been an interesting fight to see, (Ferguson) vs Khabib, but the way Oliveira controlled (Ferguson) on the ground…” Rogan continued. “We wanted to know what would happen because Tony is dangerous off his back – he submitted Kevin Lee… I’m more interested to see Oliveira fight for the title than anybody in that division.”
Oliveira, of course, agrees with Rogan and has been angling for his next fight to be for the title, against Dustin Poirier with the hopes of the luring Khabib out of retirement for one more fight. That is also a fight Rogan says he would love to see, again heaping praise on Oliveira’s recent performances.
“I believe (Khabib) is the GOAT of that division, but I don’t know what would have happened with Oliveira until you see it,” Rogan continued. “With Oliveira there are moments – like when Cub Swanson knocked him out – there’s moments when you go back in his career and you go, ‘Oh, this guy is not the greatest.’ Then you see him in some fights like the Kevin Lee fight – where he submitted Kevin Lee – submits Tony in a spectacular way. He’s just so technical. Everything’s so good. He’s never out of position. He doesn’t force anything. Everything looks f****** amazing.
“Man, I want to see him fight for the title. I wanna see him fight Dustin. I want to see him fight Conor. I want to see him fight whoever else is in that division, Gaethje.”
Unfortunately for Oliveira, despite his recent success he may still have some work to do to earn a title shot. Earlier this month, the UFC attempted to book Oliveira against Michael Chandler for a non-title bout and Dana White continues to insist that the UFC will not be vacating the lightweight title just yet. But though he may ultimately still need another win to get his title shot, at least Oliveira knows he has a big name pulling for him.
TOP STORIES
125. Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Brandon Moreno flyweight title rematch set for June 12.
Boxing. Ex-UFC champ Frank Mir faces Antonio Tarver in boxing match on Ben Askren vs. Jake Paul undercard.
Beef. Kevin Holland questions Khamzat Chimaev’s handling of COVID-19: ‘Don’t claim to have that heart if you ain’t got it’.
Jabs. Gilbert Burns knows what went wrong against Kamaru Usman, calls for Colby Covington next.
Laughter. Dominick Cruz takes shot at Henry Cejudo social media ‘chirping’: ‘They’re just kind of laughing at him’.
Back. Edson Barboza re-signs with UFC on multi-fight deal.
VIDEO STEW
Between the Links.
Petr Yan’s journey to champion.
Fighters predict Jan vs. Izzy.
Legendary Polish Power.
LISTEN UP
Jack Slack. Discussing Gane vs. Rozenstruik plus Derrick Lewis’ impressive uppercuts.
SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE
Statement.
I am a competitor. I have been all my life.
I take on challenges to grow and better myself as a person.
I have always wanted to test myself in the boxing ring so when this opportunity arose I jumped on it.
See you April 17th @AntonioTarver #MirTarver— Frank Mir (@thefrankmir) February 25, 2021
Jon looking like a heavyweight.
I feel like I move pretty good for a fat boy, I believe I’ll be moving at my all-time best once I actually get in shape pic.twitter.com/qjEsXfShid
— BONY (@JonnyBones) February 26, 2021
High praise.
It has literally become my hot sauce of choice. It’s great
— Mick Maynard (@Mickmaynard2) February 26, 2021
Surprised it took this long.
“Random”.
How random was this! Is 2021 Olympics calling my name? pic.twitter.com/nsYb0pDqxZ
— Henry Cejudo (@HenryCejudo) February 25, 2021
Classic.
RT if you think it’s a 10 pic.twitter.com/wkxnpnYDBM
— Anthony Pettis (@Showtimepettis) February 25, 2021
FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS
Drakkar Klose (11-2-1) vs. Jeremy Stephens (28-18); UFC Fight Night, Apr. 17.
John Lineker (33-9) vs. Stephen Loman (14-2); ONE on TNT, Apr. 28.
Felipe Colares (9-2) vs. Journey Newson (9-3); UFC Fight Night, May 1.
Deiveson Figueiredo (20-1-1) vs. Brandon Moreno (18-5-2); UFC 263, June 12.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Thanks for reading, enjoy the fights, and see y’all next week.
EXIT POLL
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