Vinicius Oliveira calls out Umar Nurmagomedov for fight, claims top contender will 'run away' from challenge

Vinicius Oliveira wants all the smoke. Oliveira headlines UFC Fight Night on Saturday against Mario Bautista, but his ambitions are set higher in the division. He claims UFC's top bantamweights, including Umar Nurmagomedov, are running scared from him.

Bantamweight is one of the most competitive divisions in the sport. Heading into his fifth UFC fight, Oliveira is already ranked at 135 pounds and main eventing a UFC card. The Brazilian, not content with his spot in the pecking order, is calling out the shark-infested top five. His prime target is fighter at No. 2.

"I can ask for Umar [Nurmagomedov] my whole life, and he'll run away," Oliveira told CBS Sports ahead of Saturday's main event against Mario Bautista, streaming exclusively on Paramount+. "He'll run away from me like a demon runs away from a cross."

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Oliveira understands why the top bantamweights might not fancy fighting him. There's little upside for highly ranked contenders to jeopardize their standing against a clearly dangerous, but somewhat unproven, contender. All of the bantamweight top stars are on Oliveira's hit list, but he's particularly fixated on Khabib Nurmagomedov's cousin.

"He's a smart guy. He's not crazy. He has sense. If I were Umar, I'd run away from myself, too," Oliveira said. "He has many things to lose by fighting me. If he fights me, he'll lose to a guy that's ranked No. 9. He'll bring shame to his country. I think all the Nurmagomedovs will put him away like, 'You're not part of our family because you lost to 'Lok Dog.'" 

Oliveira (No. 11) can close the distance between him and his targets by beating Bautista (No. 9) in Las Vegas. Another bantamweight in his purview is former champion Merab Dvalishvili. Oliveira and Dvalishvili recently crossed paths outside of the Octagon. Oliveira claims Dvalishvili confessed to not wanting to fight him during their friendly chat.

"He told me he didn't want to fight me," Oliveira alleged. "He came to me and said, 'Man, I don't want to face you.' I started laughing because I want to face him. I want to prove to myself that I can put him on the ground. That my fuel is really good like his. Fans think that I don't have fuel for five rounds. I can."

Dvalishvili's stamina is a statistical anomaly. His endless endurance is his greatest attribute. How will Oliveira match that? With his heart, mind and hunger. It's not a promising answer, but fits Oliveira's ethos. He's a wild man: fighting with his hands down and calling out the biggest names. With a premium seemingly placed on exciting, charismatic fighters, a showcase win on Saturday could rapidly progress Oliveira towards his desired fights.