u200bCharles Oliveira removed all doubt this past Saturday.
In the main event of UFC 269, only moments after Julianna Peña tapped out Amanda Nunes, Oliveira executed a flawless game plan and removed Dustin Poirier from title contention.
Next up for Oliveira is Justin Gaethje. Unlike this past fight against Poirier, Oliveira will not be an underdog in that title defense.
After a long, uneven UFC journey, Oliveira now stands alone as the single best lightweight in the world. The blueprint for his past two fights–winning the vacant title against Michael Chandler and then the successful title defense against Pothier–both included Oliveira getting his face smashed in the opening round.