Can Charles Oliveira beat Gaethje, McGregor, and Poirier to become champion in 2021?

Charles Oliveira’s dominant win against Tony Ferguson is one of the greatest stories coming out of UFC 256 last weekend. Oliveira looked in complete control from start to finish and exhibited his excellent grappling ability, leaving Ferguson helpless on the mat.

Patrick Auger and Matthew Wells reflect on Oliveira’s impressive decision victory and what’s to come for the lightweight contender.

Wells recalls lots of fans wishing that this was a five-round fight and not the three-round fight that it was booked to be. But now, he’s glad that it wasn’t a five-round fight because it saved Ferguson a lot of punishment. He says Oliveira is a difficult matchup for all lightweights.

Auger is sad that Khabib Nurmagomedov retired because he feels like Oliveira could have matched up really well against him and provided an exciting and difficult fight for the champion.

That would be a fantastic fight but it looks like Khabib isn’t coming back. So who’s next for Oliveira?

Wells calls for Oliveira vs. Gaethje. Auger wants to see him in the mix for a title one way or another. Wells agrees and says that they have to reward him while he’s in his prime, unlike how they handled Tony Ferguson’s career. Ferguson has seemingly missed his chance.

But the question of the day is whether Charles Oliveira will become the lightweight champion next year?

Wells says yes, Oliveira will become a champ in 2021. He expects Oliveira to beat McGregor, but even that depends on which version of McGregor shows up against Poirier in January.

Auger is on the other side of the fence and votes no. He says that Oliveira will rightfully get a title shot next year but won’t win. He questions Oliveira’s chin and labels it “suspect.” That’s a major problem against the likes of Gaethje, Poirier, and especially McGregor.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments section below! We’d love to hear your opinion.

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