LAS VEGAS – Vinicius Oliveira thinks Umar Nurmagomedov wants no part of him.
Streaking bantamweight Oliveira (23-3 MMA, 4-0 UFC) will headline his first octagon event when he takes on Mario Bautista (16-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 266 event at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas (Paramount+).
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Nurmagomedov (20-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) is coming off back-to-back wins over Bautista, and most recently Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 324.
“He’s a boring fighter,” Oliveira told MMA Junkie and other reporters of Nurmagomedov through an interpreter at UFC Fight Night 266 media day. “He did everything he usually does. He’s good on the ground. He’s not a good striker, as well, but I think he’s in my line. I think one day we’re going to fight, but that fight he fought didn’t impress me.”
Oliveira said he sees himself fighting for the belt by the end of the year, but knows he needs a top five fighter first. Could that top five fighter be Nurmagomedov?
“I think that fight me against Umar will not happen because he’s afraid of me,” Oliveira said. “He’s running away from me like a demon runs away from the curse. So maybe one day I’m going to fight against Sean O’Malley.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Vinicius Oliveira: Umar Nurmagomedov ‘afraid of me’
