July 06, 2011 – The stinging memory of a no-contest against Nik Lentz at UFC LIVE 4 may not linger long for Gold Team representative Charles “do Bronx” Oliviera.
According to a report by Brazilian MMA site Tatame citing Charles’ Muay Thai trainer Erickson Cardozo, “do Bronx” is all but set for his next matchup against Joe Lauzon at the UFC 138 event to be held on November 19 in San Jose, California.
While many had speculated on a possible rematch of the Nik “The Carny” Lentz bout, it seems that will be a no-go due to an upcoming surgery for Lentz. Their bout at UFC LIVE 4 was exciting throughout, with both fighters giving fans a ‘Fight of the Night’ performance before an illegal knee by Oliviera became a factor in what would eventually be ruled a no-contest rather than a win for the Macaco-trained fighter.
Nevertheless, the 21-year-old Oliviera has fast become known as one of the most exciting prospects in the UFC and he’ll certainly get a chance to test his abilities against his next opponent.
Emerging onto the UFC lightweight scene after a stint as a contestant on Ultimate Fighter season 5, Lauzon has been a mercurial fighter record-wise but has been consistent with bonus performances (FOTN, Submission of the Night) in five of his last bouts and seen of his last ten overall. The Boston native holds notable wins against Jeremy Stephens, Jens Pulver, Gabe Ruediger, and Mike Brown. With a win in his last bout against Curt Warburton also at UFC LIVE 4, look for Lauzon to try and continue his own momentum by derailing that of “do Bronx.”
This bout between Lauzon and Oliviera is currently not official and unannounced but is one again expected to take place at UFC 138 at the HP Pavilion arena in San Jose, California – an event that maybe headlined by UFC heavyweight champion and NorCal native Cain Velasquez making his first title defense against number-one contender Junior dos Santos.