Marcos DaMatta, Arman Tsarukyan‘s coach, believes that Charles Oliveira holds the key to cement his fighter’s claim for the title shot. As “Parrumpa” pointed out, Oliveira is a legend and even submitted Justin Gaethje, whom champ Islam Makhachev wants to fight instead of the two.
Tsarukyan and Oliveira will be meeting at UFC 300 to fight in a No. 1 contender bout that will lead them to a title shot against Makhachev. However, after defeating both fighters in the past, the champ no longer has an interest in having rematches with them and shared in a recent post that he wanted to have Gaethje first instead of the two. For DaMatta, nonetheless, the UFC won’t have any other choice but to keep its promise if Tsarukyan defeats Oliveira, who has an impressive record.
“So now, we don’t have a title shot, yes, but we have a legend,” DaMatta said in an interview. “A guy that’s – in my opinion – even more dangerous than Islam because he’s dangerous everywhere. He’s a good striker; he’s an amazing jiu-jitsu guy. In my opinion, he’s probably the best finisher in UFC history.”
To further secure the title shot, DaMatta thinks Tsarukyan would have to finish Oliveira, who submitted Gaethje in May 2022. By taking down “Do Bronxs,” DaMatta is certain that his student will be able to prove he’s the rightful title contender in the division.
“To get a finish will be a statement,” DaMatta explained. “To make sure that no one doubts that he’s number one contender, you know, because Gaethje lost to Charles. If we go there and finish Charles, or even beating Charles, I think there’s no way that they’re gonna give a title shot to Gaethje before Arman.”
