Vinicius Oliveira is still planning to compete at UFC Vegas 87 on March 2, despite his opponent Yanis Ghemmouri pulling out of the fight due to injury, which Oliveira suspects is a cover for Ghemmouri’s fear of missing weight.
Vinicius Oliveira’s got a one-way ticket to Las Vegas. It’s a bit of a head-scratcher, though. He’s got no opponent for UFC Vegas 87 on March 2.
He spilled the beans to MMA Fighting just before his flight. Apparently, Yanis Ghemmouri’s out due to an injury. Or so the promotion team says. Ghemmouri’s side of the story? Still a mystery.
UFC Vegas 87’s happening at the UFC APEX. The main event? Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Shamil Gaziev.
But here’s the juicy part: Oliveira’s got a bone to pick with Ghemmouri. He reckons Ghemmouri chickened out. Afraid he’d miss weight, he thinks.
“It looks like an injury, but I’m not buying it,” Oliveira said. “He’s been fighting at 145 lately. I reckon he wouldn’t make the weight, so he ‘injured’ himself on purpose. The shame of missing weight would be too much.”
Ghemmouri’s been bouncing between bantamweight and featherweight. He was supposed to drop to 135 on March 2. That’s after he lost his UFC debut to William Gomis at 145.
Oliveira’s a former UAE Warriors champ. He joined UFC after a knockout win at Dana White’s Contender Series in September. He’s not sweating it, though. “I know the UFC will find me someone to fight. I’m ready for anything in the cage.”
“If there’s a fight, I’ll knock the guy out in the first round. There’s a good chance I win a bonus. My fights are always a blast,” Oliveira continued. “If there were bonuses on the Contender Series, they’d be mine. It’ll be the same in the UFC. My fights are always a hoot — even my enemies like to watch me. Expect an incredible first-round knockout and likely a bonus.”