Charles Oliveira made it look easy at UFC Rio.
The previous UFC Lightweight Champion went from fighting a top striker to a fellow grappler within the five-round important event of UFC Rio on Saturday night.
Oliveira needed only two rounds to submit #8-ranked contender Mateusz Gamrot, who stepped in as a short-notice alternative when others declined.
The winner by rear-naked choke, Oliveira holds the record for many submissions and finishes in UFC history.
Following the submission win at home, a reigning UFC champion claims Oliveira would’ve had a much tougher challenge together with his original opponent Rafael Fiziev.
- READ MORE: Charles Oliveira ended crazy 29-fight streak together with his submission at UFC Rio
Alexander Volkanovski says Rafael Fiziev would’ve landed on Charles Oliveira
Rafael Fiziev suffered an injury weeks out from UFC Rio, taking him out of his highly-anticipated important event matchup against Oliveira.
Fiziev is a talented Muay Thai striker with a takedown defense rate of 90%.
UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski says that fighting Fiziev 105 days after getting knocked out by Ilia Topuria wasn’t Oliveira’s best idea.
“I assumed [Gamrot] was a significantly better match up for him than Rafa,” Volkanovski said of Oliveira’s win on his YouTube channel.
“Once I heard he was turning around that quick after an enormous knockout against Rafa, he was meant to fight Rafa now, three months after.
“Not one of the best idea, against someone like that,” Volkanovski added.
“I feel Gamrot was a greater option where he doesn’t must worry in regards to the KO threat as much. The guy’s gonna grapple and, obviously, having a full camp, he thought he’d be okay wherever that fight went.
“But with Rafa, Rafa would have been good within the scrambles,” Volkanovski said of Fiziev.
“Would have been landing on him of course, and you’ll have needed to see him if his chin would delay.
“That’s why it could have been a rough one for him if he was fighting Rafa,” the champ said of Oliveira’s possibilities against Fiziev.
The ship has likely sailed on Charles Oliveira vs. Rafael Fiziev
Fiziev has won one out of his last 4 fights.
Fiziev is currently ranked #10 on this planet after defeating Ignacio Bahamondes in his last fight at UFC Baku in June.
While he had hoped to fight Oliveira at UFC Rio, there’s an actual probability the promotion moves on from rebooking Oliveira vs. Fiziev, especially now that Max Holloway is in the image.
Holloway answered Oliveira’s call-out for a BMF title fight, wanting the potential rematch to go down in Las Vegas in March as a substitute of The White House in June.
Holloway vs. Oliveira 2 is one among the largest non-championship fights the UFC could make right away.