Another week to go before Charles Oliveira celebrates his 36th birthday. That still makes him two years junior to fellow Brazilian Alex Pereira. But unlike Poatan , who punished Magomed Ankalaev and reclaimed the light heavyweight crown this past weekend, Oliveira has few things to cheer for. Since the first attempt at regaining the lightweight title three years ago, it’s been a journey filled with ups and downs. The opening-round loss to Ilia Topuria in June left fresh wounds. So if he wants to make his birthday sweeter and add some more cherries on top of the cake, he has to defeat Mateusz Gamrot at UFC Rio this Saturday.

Still, is that sufficient to silence the whispers? Talks about retirement have gained significant traction of late. Now, as far as Charles Oliveira is concerned,

See Full Page