Oliveira says he won’t challenge Dalby loss, but his manager says he will appeal

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Alex Oliveira says he will not appeal his unanimous decision loss to Nicolas Dalby at UFC Copenhagen. But his manager is saying something else.

The Brazilian ‘Cowboy’ does not like to hold a grudge.

Although referee Rebin Saber played a major part in Alex Oliveira’s loss to Nicolas Dalby at UFC Copenhagen, standing the fighters up in the third round while Oliveira was actively working from the top which gave Dalby a chance to steal the round and win the fight via unanimous decision, Alex prefers to focus on his future rather than on the past.

In an interview with Combate, Oliveira does state that Saber made a mistake that he believes cost him the fight, but sees no point in crying over the past, as frustrating as a result like that can be after going through all the sacrifices of a training camp.

“It was f—ked up, everyone saw it, I don’t have to say anything,” Oliveira said. “He made a mistake, it’s fine, life goes on. He could have let us fight, I was on top. He said there was no action, he told us to stand up. It happened, it but it’s cool. We go through an entire journey during a training camp, it makes you feel powerless. I did everything right, but one thing went wrong, and it wasn’t my fault. I can’t criticize the referee. It hindered my performance, but it’s no use crying over spilled milk. You have to raise your head and keep training.”

This actually flies in the face of what his manager, Alex Davis has said. Davis told MMA Fighting that he will indeed be appealing the decision:

“I’ll appeal every time there’s a mistake, not because I think I’ll win, but because we have to fight it,” Davis said. “A mistake happens, everyone forgets about it in three or four days, and life goes on. We can’t let that happen.

“The mistake in (Oliveira’s) fight cost him half of his purse. The mistake in Dhiego Lima’s fight almost cost that. I’ll complain every time something like this happens, and I think everyone should, too. If we don’t do this, no one else will. My fighters, their teams and myself are the ones who lose with that. It’s a matter of principles.”

With a loss as frustrating as that in his last outing, it’s no surprise Oliveira wants to get back in the Octagon as soon as possible to try and erase the memory of that fight in Denmark. If possible, Alex still wants perform again in 2019, and would not turn down a rematch against Dalby, too.

“I want to fight this year. If I could fight him again, I would show that the loss does not tell the whole story. It was my fight to lose. I want to keep my head cool and just fight. If it’s against him, even better. I have to wait for the UFC to give me a call. I’m still training, I’m not hurt. My mind is healthy, life goes on.”

The loss to Nicolas Dalby puts Alex Oliveira (19-8-1-2 NC) on a three-fight losing streak. Before his last defeat, the 31-year-old also lost fights to the likes of Mike Perry and Gunnar Nelson, dating his last win back September 2018, when he TKO’d Carlo Pedersoli Jr. at UFC Sao Paulo.