Arman Tsarukyan Accuses Charles Oliveira of Using Teammate's Death as an Excuse to Avoid Rematch
Arman Tsarukyan, a prominent contender in the UFC lightweight division, has expressed skepticism regarding Charles Oliveira's withdrawal from a rumored rematch at UFC 331. The fight was initially slated to occur following their closely contested bout earlier in their careers.
While reports suggested that the tragic passing of Oliveira's teammate, Allan Nascimento, was the reason for his withdrawal from the potential UFC 331 matchup, Tsarukyan questions the legitimacy of this explanation. He pointed out that Oliveira has since posted training videos on social media, leading Tsarukyan to believe that the death might have been used as a convenient excuse.
During an interview on The Ariel Helwani Show, Tsarukyan stated, "Charles' friend died, and he cannot train; but I don’t understand, in 3-4 days he’s doing training and back in camp. Probably they already set up a fight with Diego Lopes. He was just finding an excuse."
Tsarukyan suggested that Oliveira might have preferred a different opponent, such as Diego Lopes, over facing him again. He added, "To lose somebody is so hard, but you could beat me and dedicate the victory to your friend. Fight me or Diego Lopes? For sure, he would pick Diego Lopes."
A potential fight between Oliveira and Diego Lopes has been speculated, especially after Lopes' recent transition to the lightweight division following losses to featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski. Oliveira's last outing was a unanimous decision victory over Max Holloway at UFC 326, where he secured the BMF title. He aims for another title run after losing the vacant lightweight championship to Ilia Topuria.
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