Does Charles "Do Bronx" Deserve a Title Shot?

Charles “Do Bronx” Oliveira spoke with MMA Fighting’s Guilherme Cruz recently on what’s next for him. Oliveira elaborated on how he has the longest win streak in the division, finishes all his opponents. “Do Bronx” has insisted on fighting a top-five ranked opponent all year after his dominant win over Kevin Lee. Oliveira and his team have been targeting Dan Hooker, ranked number 5, for a potential bout in November but it has yet to be confirmed.

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My question is, does Charles Oliveira's record qualify him for a title shot? Let’s look at his last opponents and determine whether his record is deserving:

Kevin Lee: “Do Bronx” submitted him with a guillotine in the third round

Jared Gordon: Oliveira ko’s Gordon in 1 round

Nick Lentz: Charles wins by TKO in round 2.

The biggest name here is Kevin Lee. But Lee was hopping around in the welterweight division and only won one of his last three fights before facing Charles. My problem with giving Charles a title fight is the rest of his record, however. He was finished by Paul Felder, Ricardo Lamas, Anthony Pettis, Max Holloway, Cub Swanson, and Donald Cerrone. Each time the UFC gives him a jump in competition, he loses in spectacular fashion. Not to discredit the recent run “Do Bronx” is on now, as he truly dismantled Kevin Lee. But in the UFC, we all tend to have a recent bias. We haven’t seen him since the Lee fight in March of 2020 and now we hear him calling for a higher-ranked opponent because he believes he deserves a title shot. My immediate feelings on this are he is two fights away from being deserving of a title shot. Look at Dan Hooker. He’s beaten Al Iaquinta, James Vick, and spectacularly finished the top contender in welterweight, Gilbert Burns. Hooker has more name value on his record than Oliveira and it is understood among the MMA community that he is still one or two wins away from the title. Not fighting for a long period and then calling for a title shot can end you up in a similar position to Leon Edwards. Edwards hasn’t fought since 2019 and was demanding a title shot. Instead, the UFC removes his ranking and gives him a guy absolutely nobody wants to fight in Khamzat Chimaev. “Do Bronx” wouldn’t like my matchup I gave him of Beneil Dariush, as he is ranked eleven. But, if Hooker isn’t accepting the fight why not go after another recognizable name in Dariush. If he beats Dariush, I believe he will get the respect he deserves to challenge a top-five fighter.