Does Charles Oliveira earn the GOAT title with a win at UFC 280?
There is always discourse centered around who is the GOAT of the UFC. The debate is fun, but I like to zoom in even more and discuss who the GOAT is at every weight class. There is a huge UFC 280 card coming up this Saturday, Oct. 22, headlined by Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev for the lightweight belt. This is an important card for multiple reasons as this fight will show if Makhachev is in fact the second coming of Khabib Nurmagomedov, or if Oliveira should be seen as the lightweight GOAT.
First, let’s start by naming the other fighters that have been brought up for this debate. There are great fighters like B.J. Penn, Frankie Edgar, Eddie Alvarez, Tony Ferguson and Dustin Poirier to name a few. These fighters are compared and contrasted often, but it seems like the arguments are for second place. This is because, among UFC fans, there appears to be a clear favorite for lightweight GOAT and that is Khabib “The Eagle” Nurmagomedov.
Nurmagomedov has an incredible resume, boasting an undefeated 13-0 record in the UFC and 29-0 overall in his career. He finished seven of these fights with five coming from submission. He retired as lightweight champion with three title defenses and was regarded as the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter at that time. Khabib’s legacy is cemented as being one of the most dominant fighters of all time, one of the best wrestlers of all time, and generally a top-five fighter of all time.
Oliveira’s Case for Lightweight GOAT
Over the last few years, Oliveira has bumped his name into the best lightweights of all time discussion. Now, his title run, and ongoing title reign, have raised his stock to where some people think he might be the lightweight division GOAT.
Oliveira has an amazing UFC resume, going 21-8 in the promotion with the record for the most submission wins of all time (16). He has been on an absolute mission since he moved up to lightweight as he is 12-1 in this division with 11 finishes. He only has one defense due to a weight miss against Justin Gaethje but Oliveira has now defended his belt against two of the same opponents as Nurmagomedov — except Oliveira finished them faster.
Ultimately, I think these two fighters have been extremely dominant in different ways. Nurmagomedov had nearly perfect wrestling with his hagas tan wrestling, and he rarely took damage, if ever, in fights. He went a perfect 13-0 and is essentially the gold standard.
However, Oliviera’s Brazilian jiu-jitsu is just as dominating, and he is one of the most entertaining fighters on the roster. I think Nurmagomedov is the GOAT at lightweight but if Oliveira wins at UFC 280, I think that fight will be one of the biggest milestones in his career.
If Oliveira can rack up a few more title defenses, I think, because of their records, common opponents, and the fact that Makhachev is the closest we will ever get to an Oliveira vs. Nurmagomedov fight, Oliveira might just be the Lightweight GOAT.
Nevertheless, for that to happen, Charles Oliveira needs a win at UFC 280 against Islam Makhachev.
