Charles Oliveira had just dominated former interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson at UFC 256 to notch his eighth consecutive victory. The biggest question was, 'would Oliveira finally get the long-elusive shot at UFC gold?'
UFC president Dana White had refused to accept the fact Khabib Nurmagoemedov wasn't coming out of retirement and wouldn't force him to relinquish the belt in hopes of getting Nurmagoemedov to return for one more fight. There was also the Conor McGregor-Dustin Poirier rematch at UFC 257, with the winner expected to receive a crack at the belt.
Poirier stopped McGregor, and UFC newcomer Michael Chandler plowed through Dan Hooker in the co-main event of the same show. Things appeared to be trending towards Poirier vs. Chandler, with Oliveira being left behind and still waiting for his opportunity. But as fate would have it, White finally accepted Nurmagomedov riding off into the sunset, and Poirier decided to forgo a title shot to do a trilogy with McGregor at UFC 264.
Once those dominos fell, the UFC made the call to go with Oliveira as he'll take on Chandler in the main event of Saturday's UFC 262 for the vacant lightweight title from the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
For Oliveira, the options were nothing more and nothing less than a lightweight title shot.
"I definitely knew," Oliveira told DAZN News. "I knew when I beat Tony, and that's why I said it after the fight. I knew that there was no other possibility. I knew it was just me."
Before he had started his winning streak, Oliveira was in the middle of the pack and looked to be on the verge of being released after losing three of his previous four fights (and four of six) going into 2018. Another issue was the fact Oliveira had missed weight three times. The Brazilian knew he needed to change his ways and in a hurry, or he'd be unemployed.
While some would lose hope of not achieving their dream, Oliveira stayed positive and knew one day he'd step into the Octagon and compete for the UFC lightweight championship.
"I knew I would get here," Oliveira admits. "I just didn't know when it would happen. But since the first time he entered the Octagon, I knew that I was here to break records and become a champion."
During his remarkable winning streak, seven of Oliveira's victories have come inside the distance. "Do Bronx" feels UFC 262 will be the same result.
"I believe I will get a knockout in the first round," Oliveira boldly predicts.