Athletes
Charles Oliveira | Journey Back To The Title Shot
Former Lightweight Champion Charles Oliveira Took A Fittingly Winding Road Back To Title Contention Since Losing The Belt In 2022, A Journey That Comes To A Head At UFC 317
Charles Oliveira might have the highest approval rating of any fighter on the roster. The all-action Brazilian is almost always in an entertaining fight and holds the record for most finishes in UFC history with 20. His 28-fight journey to the lightweight title was one filled with ups, downs and a nine-fight winning streak that quieted any and all criticisms about his toughness and heart the early chapters of his career built.
While most of the MMA world wanted to see Islam Makhachev defend his title against former featherweight champion Ilia Topuria, it says a lot about Oliveira that many were satisfied with his being selected for a shot at the vacant belt against Topuria as Makhachev looks to challenge for the welterweight title. Oliveira, essentially, has everything fans can love—the style, the quality, the story, the aura—to make him a more than suitable challenger in Las Vegas, and while fellow contenders Justin Gaethje and Arman Tsarukyan can justifiably take exception with the opportunity, it’s one “Do Bronxs” earned all the same.
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It wasn’t a smooth journey to this second crack at reclaiming a throne many felt was unjustly taken from him three years ago, but it is also one that feels apt for how Oliveira’s journey has gone since making his debut as a 20-year-old in August 2010.
The Champion Has A Name
Charles Oliveira Post-Fight Interview | UFC 274: Oliveira vs Gaethje
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Charles Oliveira Post-Fight Interview | UFC 274: Oliveira vs Gaethje
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After Khabib Nurmagomedov retired in October 2020, a vacuum was left at the top of the ultra-competitive lightweight division. The crop of contenders expected to fill the golden void included former interim champions Dustin Poirier, Justin Gaethje and Tony Ferguson as well as Michael Chandler, who made a loud debut of his own when he knocked out Dan Hooker in his UFC debut.
Oliveira beat them all instead, establishing himself as a rockstar of a champion in a four-fight span over the course of 17 months. However, the final fight of that run, a first-round submission win over Gaethje, came with controversy as Oliveira weighed in half-a-pound over the championship limit, thus stripping him of the title.
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Despite the technicalities, few could debate the fact that he was the best lightweight in the world after beating and finishing Chandler, Poirier and Gaethje. After his win over the latter, he continued repeating what basically everyone felt: the champion has a name, and his name is Charles Oliveira.
Falling Short
Following his win over Gaethje, a vacant title fight was made between Oliveira and the surging Islam Makhachev. The general feeling was Oliveira was unofficially defending the title against Makhachev, but the stylistic matchup was fascinating all the same. Oliveira was in such form that there were debates around how he would have stacked up against Nurmagomedov given the chance, and a fight against Makhachev—Nurmagomedov’s friend, training partner and protégé—was the next best thing.
Instead of a reclamation, UFC 280 was a coronation as Makhachev dominated the action before submitting Oliveira in the second round. Oliveira would later say he was in the wrong headspace for the fight and gave credit to Makhachev. Because of the stacked title picture, Oliveira would have to work his way back to gold, but it was not a journey with which he was unfamiliar.
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A Winding Journey Back To Title Contention
While Makhachev engaged in a champ-vs-champ affair against Alexander Volkanovski, Oliveira went back to work to reestablish himself as the No. 1 contender at 155 pounds. His next target was the red-hot dark horse Beneil Dariush, whose eight-fight win streak put him on the precipice of a title shot. A win over Oliveira would seemingly put him in that position, but Oliveira had other plans when they fought at UFC 289 in Vancouver.
Charles Oliveira Octagon Interiew | UFC 289
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Charles Oliveira Octagon Interiew | UFC 289
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Dariush started strong, controlling Oliveira on the mat for a good chunk of the first round, but Oliveira got back to his feet and connected with a head kick that rocked Dariush. Oliveira poured it on, earned the stoppage and pointed at himself in celebration as if to say, “I’m next.”
Oliveira got his wish. A year after Makhachev beat him for the belt, a rematch was scheduled back in Abu Dhabi for as clear of a do-over as any in recent memory—until it wasn’t.
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Ten days before UFC 294, Oliviera suffered a cut over his eye, which would render him unable to compete. Instead, Volkanovski got his second crack at Makhachev, and Makhachev added to his legacy with a first-round KO of the Australian. Oliveira, on the other hand, found himself with work to do as the title picture continued to get more and more crowded.
While one could’ve argued Oliveira still deserved a shot at Makhachev, he put that on the line in accepting a fight few seemingly wanted when he lined up against Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 300. Tsarukyan had won seven of his last eight fights since making his debut against Makhachev back in April 2019, most recently knocking Dariush out in the first round of their main event bout in December 2023. The bout was deemed a title eliminator, and it was as competitive as anyone hoped. While Tsarukyan proved his quality and controlled much of the exchanges, Oliveira caught the Armenian in a pair of deep submission attempts late. Ultimately, the judges gave the split nod to Tsarukyan, but it wasn’t the clearest-cut result ever.
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Never one to rest on his laurels, Oliveira knew he needed to get back into the win column in a big way after Makhachev submitted Dustin Poirier in 2024’s Fight of the Year. That turned into a rematch with Michael Chandler at UFC 309 in New York City. It was a risky fight for Oliveira, as Chandler hadn’t fought since November 2022, when he lost to Poirier. The risk paid off, however, as Oliveira dominated Chandler for the majority of the five-round co-main event to cement his spot in the title picture.
His betting on himself reaped the biggest reward as Oliveira now takes on Topuria on June 28 in Las Vegas. Oddsmakers have Oliveira as a big underdog against the undefeated 28-year-old. While it’s somewhat understandable considering Topuria’s knockout wins over Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway in 2024, Oliveira has made meals out of being doubted. If he gets the job done, he’ll be the first two-time champion in the division’s history, which feels poetically fitting.
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