\u201cDo Bronx\u201d has been stopped by strikes before in his lengthy UFC career, but this finish stands out. It\u2019s not usual to see the Brazilian legend unconscious, let alone out cold just a couple minutes into the very first round. The Topuria defeat was actually Oliveira\u2019s first knockout loss since 2017, and it would have been reasonable for the 35-year-old former champion to take some time off.<\/p>\n
Instead, Oliveira is set to headline<\/a> the upcoming UFC Rio card on October 11th against ferocious puncher Rafael Fiziev. It\u2019s a risky match up both stylistically and because Oliveira is jumping into the fire again so quickly. Returning so quickly is the kind of move that can backfire<\/a>, like when Alexander Volkanovski fought Topuria just three months after eating an Islam Makhachev head kick.<\/p>\n Retired UFC champion and color commentator Daniel Cormier doesn\u2019t believe it\u2019s the best decision to come back so quickly, and he questions who is looking out for Oliveira after the bout announcement.<\/p>\n \u201dCharles Oliveira fighting in three months after that knockout just does not seem like the best decision,\u201d Cormier explained. \u201cI always wonder about the team that\u2019s around them when people make decisions like that. Fighters always want to fight \u2026Where are the guys that go, \u2018Hey, not yet?\u2018 Diego Lima could go \u2019not quite yet\u2019 or one of the managers.<\/p>\n \u201cEspecially when Charles has made a boatload of money now. He\u2019s done really well in his career, he\u2019s established, he\u2019s going into the Hall of Fame. He\u2019s one of the greats, and I just don\u2019t want to see something crazy happen again that we saw happen last time. When Charles was champ, he got knocked down a lot. He got hurt a lot, but he\u2019s always been able to get up and continue to fight. With Topuria, he was knocked out before he hit the ground. To see him back in three months, it\u2019s concerning.\u201d<\/p>\n