Charles Oliveira: Pressure Is On Kevin Lee At UFC Brasilia
Charles Oliveira believes all the pressure is on Kevin Lee ahead of their fight.
The two ranked lightweights are set to collide in the main event of UFC Brasilia on March 14. Last month, Lee — who returned to the win column with an emphatic head knick knockout of Gregor Gillespie at UFC 244 in November — revealed that he wanted to shut the Brazilian fans up by beating one of their own.
There’s nothing wrong with being confident, but statements like that also bring about added pressure according to Oliveira.
The Brazilian, on the other hand, does his talking in the Octagon:
“I think he is the favorite to win,” Oliveira told Tatame (via Bloody Elbow). “It’s like he said, he’s ‘the man.’ He said that. No matter what, that comes with pressure.
“I’ll fight like I always have, no pressure. Always moving forward, using my striking and my grappling. Let him say what he will do, that he will shut everyone up. The pressure is on him, not me.”
Oliveira is on a six-fight winning streak with finishes in all those outings. A finish over Lee would arguably be the biggest win of “Do Bronx’s” career and could put him in title contention.
He acknowledges that Lee is a tough foe, but does see one aspect of his game that he can take advantage of:
“Kevin Lee is really tough,” he added. “He has some flaws in his game that we can work with. I think he mixes up his boxing and his wrestling really well. He takes you down, he unleashes some strong ground and pound.
“However, he usually starts a round strong and then starts to fade. In five rounds, I think I can take an advantage of that.”
What do you make of Oliveira’s comments?
