It's no secret that Charles Oliveira is one of the most easy-going fighters in MMA, but even he gets annoyed by certain types of trash talk. In fact, the former UFC lightweight champion (up to 70,3 kg) was not at all pleased with the recent provocation by Arman Tsarukyan , which involved the death of Allan "Puro Osso ," his friend and training partner at the "Chute Boxe Diego Lima" gym, which occurred in August in São Paulo.
Previously, a rumor indicated that the rematch between the Brazilian and the Armenian would be part of UFC 331, an event scheduled to take place on September 19th in California (USA). Then, the league announced Tsarukyan for the show, but not against Charles, instead facing Mauricio Ruffy . Soon after, the athlete found it strange that the former champion returned to training just days after his fight was made official and speculated that he used Puro Osso's death as an excuse not to fight him.
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In an interview with 'Olhar da Luta', Charles, aware of Tsarukyan's questioning, gave a clarifying answer. The veteran denied being afraid to face the Armenian or any professional . It's true that, in their first fight in 2024, Do Bronx lost to his rival by split decision, but he made a point of mentioning his history to justify his position. Not surprisingly, the athlete holds the 'BMF' belt (baddest motherfucker in the UFC). Frankly, the São Paulo native made it clear that he was so shaken that he wasn't in a condition to face anyone.
“Many people use a spark to cause trouble. Let's throw shade, shall we? Tsarukyan posted that he doesn't know why I didn't accept the fight, and then he saw me training. I respect you a lot. I'm not afraid to fight you. I'll fight you anytime, at any moment. However, the fight was never discussed with me. The only thing that came to me was whether I would fight now, and I said no, I wouldn't fight now, because I would fight later in November,” he said.
“The UFC didn’t say yes or no. Then, what happened with Allan happened, and I hear something like this: ‘Oh, but he’s back to training, I don’t understand,’ you know? So, a lot of people use these parts to take jabs or to gain hype over something that doesn’t exist. I respect him immensely, he has immense talent, he’s a very tough guy, but in no way did I run away from the fight. In no way did I run away from the fight. If the fight had been scheduled for that date and what happened with Allan had happened, I would have left the same way, whether it was with you or for the title.”
“I would withdraw against anyone in the world. Because there are things in life that are bigger than a championship belt, bigger than anything else. There are things in life that are much more important. The respect, affection, and love I had for Allan is much greater than a championship belt, much greater than anything else. So, if the fight had been scheduled, if I had signed the contract, I would have withdrawn from the fight anyway.”
“But I didn’t back out of the fight, because at no point was the contract signed, nor was this fight ever presented to me on that date in November. So, just to make that perfectly clear. I never run from fights. In fact, tell me anyone who was sent a fight and who I ran from. I never ran. I’ve fought injured and still went there. I’ve never run from any fight. So, I’ll never carry that burden on my shoulders, saying that I ran from a fight, because I’ve never backed out of a fight. I’ve always fought every fight I’ve been called for,” he concluded.
Charles and Puro Osso at Chute Boxe Diego Lima. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram/allanpuroosso
Charles' moment in the UFC
Charles Oliveira , 36, is riding a two-fight winning streak after defeating Mateusz Gamrot and Max Holloway . Thanks to this winning streak, the Brazilian, a former lightweight champion, is close to a title shot again. Currently, the legendary fighter is ranked third in the division.
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