Islam Makhachev offers to help train Charles Oliveira ahead of rumored fight with Colby Covington
Islam Makhachev is more than happy to show Charles Oliveira a thing or two on the mat.
On Saturday, June 1, the ‘Dagestani Destroyer’ will return to the Octagon for the first time in 2024 when he headlines UFC 302 airing live from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Meeting him in the main event will be Dustin Poirier, a hardened veteran determined to “finish his story” and claim Makahchev’s 155-pound crown.
Ahead of his clash with ‘The Diamond’ in The Garden State, Makhachev sat down with members of the press at the UFC 303 media day. There, he mostly addressed questions surrounding his upcoming fight, but there was one moment when Makhachev issued an invite to Charles Oliveira — the man he defeated for the lightweight belt at UFC 280.
With rumors swirling of a fight between ‘Do Bronx’ and three-time title challenger Colby Covington, Makhachev invited his former foe to Dagestan, offering to help him hone his wrestling skills.
“Charles is a good guy, if I can help him, he can join us in our camp in Dagestan,” Makhachev said. “He has very good striking, we can help him with wrestling.”
Charles Oliviera ready to test the welterweight waters after losses to Islam makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan
Of course, Makhachev and Oliveira are no strangers to one another. After scoring a second-round submission victory over the Brazilian in late 2022, the two were set to run it back at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi, but a cut sustained whilst training forced ‘Do Bronx’ to bow out of the bout, paving the way for the Makhachev vs. Volkanovski rematch.
Since then, Oliveira has suffered another loss, surrendering a split decision to Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 300. With even more distance between himself and a shot at the lightweight strap, it’s possible that he could be looking to test the waters at welterweight.
