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Belal Muhammad, the UFC welterweight contender, has shared his opinion on Charles Oliveira’s decision to pull out of UFC 294. Oliveira was scheduled to defend his UFC lightweight title against Islam Makhachev in Abu Dhabi this weekend, but he suffered a cut on his eyebrow during training and withdrew from the fight.
As a result, Alexander Volkanovski stepped up on short notice and will face Makhachev in a rematch for the belt. Oliveira’s withdrawal has sparked a lot of controversy and criticism, as some fans and fighters have accused him of being scared or unprofessional. Muhammad, who is a friend and training partner of Makhachev, is one of them. He expressed his doubts about Oliveira’s injury and motivation on the UFC Unfiltered podcast, where he said that Oliveira got what he wanted by avoiding the fight.
“Charles got what he wanted. He is not fighting in Abu Dhabi,” Muhammad said. “As a fighter, you understand the game, right? The training is the hardest part. But, the biggest fight of your life, the biggest rematch of your life, you get a cut 10 days before the fight on your eyebrow? Like, who are you training with, bro?
“Anthony Pettis, before his fight with Dustin Poirier, one week before, he got split open… The world didn’t know about it. Anthony got it surgically repaired, stitched up. It opened up in the fight, but he still went in there and fought,” Muhammad continued. “To me, Charles never wanted to go to Abu Dhabi. He never wanted to fight in enemy territory… Do I say he did it purposefully? Who knows? But he chose not to fight.”
Muhammad’s comments reflect the frustration and disappointment that many fans and fighters have felt about Oliveira’s withdrawal
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