English fighting star Paddy Pimblett predicted that Charles Oliveira would win his hotly anticipated bout against Islam Makhachev at UFC 280.
Oliveira and Makhachev will compete for the vacant lightweight belt on October 22 in Abu Dhabi, UAE. And according to their fellow 155-pound fighter, Pimblett, “Do Bronx” will have too many tools in his toolkit come fight night for Makhachev to handle.
“It’s gonna be a big fight, but I think Charles is gonna have too much for him,” Pimblett said via Middle Easy. “I think Charles will finish him, in like 3, something like that. He’s (been) through a much higher caliber of opponents, (competed against a) lot more dangerous fighters, and he’s come through the other side. And I just think he’s got too many tools in his arsenal for Islam to deal with.”
Oliveira lost the lightweight strap in May after he missed weight by a half-pound. He still entered the Octagon at UFC 274 and took out Justin Gaethje in less than one round, but the Brazilian was ineligible to receive the championship.
Makhachev is riding a 10-fight win streak, with his most recent victory coming in February when he dominated Bobby Green en route to a first-round TKO finish.
Pimblett Wants to Fight in Vegas on December 10th
Pimblett fought in July during the promotion’s return to London. And during the event, he picked up his third win inside the Octagon. He battled Jordan Leavitt in the O2 Arena and he snatched the American into a rear-naked choke in the second round.
And when he spoke with the media in San Diego on Saturday, “The Baddy” revealed that he planned to fight in December during the promotion’s final pay-per-view card of the year.
“I think I’m going to fight in Vegas,” Pimblett said via MMA Fighting. “That’s what I’m hoping. I’ve seen that card getting slated for Dec. 10.”
Pimblett, who is known for ballooning up in weight after fighting inside the cage, also told the media that he weighed 200 pounds. But, he said that he’d manage his weight better when he’s taking on more elite combatants.
“When I’m a bit older and once I start fighting ranked opponents, I will keep my weight down,” The Baddy said. “But for now, I enjoy putting a little bit of chub rub on.”
Makhachev Plans to Finish Oliveira ‘Early,’ Khabib Nurmagomedov Said
The former UFC lightweight champion and Makhachev’s longtime training partner-turned-coach, Khabib Nurmagomedov, recently told Sambo Says that his friend has a “plan” to take out Oliveira “early.”
“Eleven fights in a row he (Oliveira) has won with so many finishes,” Nurmagomedov said via MMA Fighting. “I think it’s silly to think we’re underestimating this fight. This is a very hard fight. We always referred to him as a champion. If we say that we want to finish the fight early, I don’t see any arrogance in that at all.
“We have a plan. We want to finish the fight early. I think that Charles also has a plan and that he also wants to finish Islam. I think he also wants to hit his opponent in the face, use his kicks, knees, punches, elbow. Right? He wants to choke his opponent out, break their bones, etc. That’s the reason we step into the octagon, right?”
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Paddy Pimblett Predicts Winner of UFC 280’s Charles Oliveira v. Islam Makhachev