O’Malley even went on to make a lofty claim that Oliveira would have been able to defeat Khabib Nurmagomedov, who achieved legendary status after retiring undefeated in his weight class
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'Maybe that’s why Khabib stepped away'- UFC star thinks Oliveira could stop legendary fighter
Bantamweight sensation Sean O’Malley has revealed his admiration for Brazilian Lightweight fighter Charles Oliveira and has even gone on to call the former Lightweight Champion the best in his weight class.
Sean O'Malley believes Charles Olivier can defeat Khabib
“That is one interesting fight that I would like to see if Khabib came back in the division. I think Charles is the only one that can give Khabib problems and, who knows, maybe that’s why Khabib stepped away.” O’Malley said to Brazilian outlet Canal Encarada.
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O’Malley might not be far from the truth, as not many active fighters can survive the full six rounds with a fully charged Oliveira. The Brazilian submission king is currently on an 11-fight unbeaten streak which contains headline names like Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje.
Charles Oliveira is currently on an 11 fight unbeaten streak
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Oliviera is currently first in the UFC lightweight rankings and is fourth in the pound-for-pound as well, and nobody has as many as his 16 submissions in the history of the franchise.
The Dagestani Eagle
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Had O’Malley compared Oliviera with any other fighter, there would have been very little to argue with, but Khabib Nurmagomedov was a fighter in a class of his own. Born in the Russian province of Dagestan, Khabib made a name for himself as a street fighter before making his MMA debut.
Khabib Nurmagomedov
Pulse Ghana
After making his MMA debut, Khabib ran off into a 16-0 unbeaten streak in the regional championships, a feat he would repeat on multiple occasions during his career.
Khabib is still the longest-reigning UFC Lightweight Champion, having held the title from April 2018 to March 2021- a total of 1077 days. Speaking to the UFC The Eagle said: “I have been fighting in the street and various tournaments since childhood and this experience and confidence helps me.”
Khabib pinning Conor McGregor to the cage when they faced off
Photo by Harry How/Getty Images
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Sadly, following the tragic passing of his father in 2020 Khabib became disillusioned with the sport and decided to call it a day. In his post-fight interview after defeating Justin Gaethje, Khabib announced his retirement from mixed martial arts stating that he could not fight without his late father.
"No way I'm going to come here without my father. It was the first time after what happened with my father that UFC called me about Justin, I talked with my mother for three days.
"She doesn't want me to go fight without my father, but I promised her it was going to be my last fight. If I give my word, I have to follow this. It was my last fight here." Khabib said.
He now trains a new generation of Dagestani fighters while promoting his own MMA Franchise- Eagles MMA.
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