Big events such as UFC 300 can make or break fighters. While some might get to walk away with more than a win, others will surely find themselves back on square one. Charles Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan are two fighters who go into the weekend with UFC gold on their mind. Dana White has even confirmed that the winner of this fight will take on Islam Makhachev for the title. That being said, former double champion Daniel Cormier recently claimed that one of the combatants has more to lose than the other.
In the most recent episode of their show, ‘Good Guy/Bad Guy’ on ESPN MMA, Daniel Cormier and Chael Sonnen discussed the potential winners and losers from the upcoming UFC 300. During the conversation, Cormier insisted that Oliveira stands to lose the most at UFC 300. He said,
“Charles Oliveira, Charles Oliveira, has the most to lose at UFC 300, Chael. He was like I said, the number one contender. He is now fighting a guy that is on his way up. This is the same situation as Dustin Poirier and Benoit Saint-Denis. When you’re a guy that has lived at the top of the division, been the champion, that has fought the biggest fights in the organisation. When you’re in the position where you got to give the kid a chance, you can not lose. And if you do, you’re really going to suffer for it.”
Charles Oliveira established himself as the rightful number-one contender after his knockout win over Dariush at UFC 289. He was supposed to take on Islam Makhachev in October 2023 for a rematch. However, an accidental injury forced him out of the fight.
Last chance at the UFC title for Charles Oliveira?
The UFC wanted to book Makhachev vs Oliveira for a rematch following Makhachev’s devastating knockout win over Volkanovski at UFC 294. However, fate had other plans and Makhachev sustained an injury that has kept him on the sidelines since October 2023.
In the meantime, Oliveira decided not to wait for Makhachev and instead put it all on the line for an extremely high-risk low-reward fight against Arman Tsarukyan.
If Oliveira does end up winning the fight he will rightfully earn another shot at the title. However, Cormier insisted that a loss would see his stock taking a massive hit.
In addition, “Do Bronxs” will have to start from scratch all over again to secure another title shot. Hence, depending on the outcome of the UFC 300 fight Oliveira will either cement his place as the next-best lightweight in the world or we will get to see a new contender take the spotlight.
