Nate Diaz, Conor McGregor, and other professional fighters criticized Charles Oliveira for taking the grappling route to beat Max Holloway for the BMF belt in the main event of UFC 326, but “do Bronx” says that just jealousy.
Oliveira dominated Holloway throughout five rounds on March 7 to walk away with the title in Las Vegas, and responded to critics in a recent interview with Olhar da Luta.
“I came in to fight a guy that nobody had dominated, nobody had taken down,” Oliveira said. “Everyone who took him down, he would hit the mat and get right back up and then go on to do what he does, point down with 10 seconds left and knock them out. I came into a fight where, with all due respect, I made it look easy.
“The best hands, the best kicks, I was the one landing. My ground game was flawless. He defended, sure, but my ground was impeccable. There wasn’t a single moment where things got bad for me. I was the one who called him to the center and started landing. My hands got through. The only punch he landed hit my shoulder, and that’s the one that threw me off balance.”
Oliveira recalled being criticized for his decision to stand and trade with Ilia Topuria at UFC 317, when he was knocked out cold for the first time in his MMA career in a lightweight championship bout. Since then, Oliveira submitted Mateusz Gamrot in Rio de Janeiro before beating Holloway at the T-Mobile Arena to improve to 37-11 in the sport.
Oliveira admits he’s upset “I didn’t get the finish” against Holloway, which would have improved his UFC finishing record to 22, but is overall happy with the work done alongside wrestling coach Alireza Noei and jiu-jitsu wizard Demian Maia in a camp at Chute Boxe Diego Lima that led to such a one-sided performance.
“And I got criticized for not brawling. I got criticized for it being all ground,” Oliveira said. “I got criticized saying it was a bad fight. I think when professional fighters say that was a bad fight, that’s jealousy. To dominate a guy like Max Holloway for five rounds, which I think should’ve all been 10-8 rounds given the level of control, and then say I didn’t stood and traded?”
“I don’t know what they want,” he continued. “For the next fight, I want them to tell me the game plan. What do you want me to do? Muay Thai, judo, kung fu, surfing? What am I supposed to do so people are satisfied? Because if I go in there and win the fight and it’s still not good enough, then there’s nothing I can do. But the most important thing is: the BMF champion is Charles Oliveira, Charles ‘do Bronx.’ We brought a belt to Brazil that no Brazilian had ever won. So whether people like it or not, we’re the champions.”
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