Charles “Do Bronx” Oliveira will look to add the eight straight win to his resumé when he takes on Tony Ferguson at UFC 256, on December 12th at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
The Brazilian, who finished his last seven opponents, including a submission win over Kevin Lee in his most recent bout last March, showed appreciation and excitement on finally getting a Top 5 opponent in the lightweight division, but promised he will go further.
“I’m happy for this opportunity to fight Ferguson; I’m taking this fight on less than 20 days notice, but it’s a chance to display my talent and show I’m ready to fight any Top 5 ranked guy, like I’ve been saying for a while now”, he said, “The time has come. I will shock the world on December 12th”.
After returning to the 155-pound division in 2017 after a 4-year stint as a featherweight, Oliveira climbed all the way to the sixth position in the official rankings with dominant wins over names such as Jim Miller, Nik Lentz, David Teymur and ultimately Lee; “El Cucuy”, on the other hand, just saw his 12-fight winning streak come to and end in a TKO loss to Justin Gaethje last May.
The bout, which could lead the winner to the shortlist of title contenders, will be an exciting one according to the 31-year-old Brazilian.
“I’m expecting this fight to be a war, because we’re both good on the feet and on the ground. We both like to fight, we both move forward”, he said. “Fans can be sure this is going to be a war, but they can also be sure that when it’s done, my arm will be raised. It’s my moment. I respect Ferguson in every way – he’s tough, a fantastic guy – but now it’s my time”.
