Charles Oliveira da Silva, born on 17 October 1989, is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is a former UFC Lightweight Champion and a fourth-degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
A professional MMA competitor since 2008, he mainly fought in small Brazilian promotions until his move to the UFC in 2010. Oliveira has achieved a big name in mixed martial arts and BJJ.
Early Life and Overcoming Adversity
From humble origins, Oliveira was born in the favela of Vicente de Carvalho in the town of Guarujá, São Paulo, Brazil. Oliveira was brought up in the neighborhood of Guaruja, Sao Paulo in poverty.
As Charles Oliveira spent his childhood in poverty, he is now doing great social work to support his community. He has his own project to help those kids who are susceptible to crime due to poverty. This poverty played a basic role in building his humble and ambitious personality. He belonged to a poor family and used to sell snacks with his family to provide end meals.
Most combat sports competitors had a dream to become big fighters. But this is not the same with Oliveira as he wanted to become a soccer player from an early age. He started playing football when he was seven years old. At age 7, he was diagnosed with heart murmur and rheumatic fever, and told by a doctor that he couldn't play sports. His parents decided against it and let him play sports as his condition healed over time.
Read also: Oliveira's Missed Weight
During early childhood when Oliveira started to follow his dream and often play football, he suffered from severe illness. He felt pain in his whole body and was unable to walk normally. Doctors diagnosed this illness as rheumatic fever which affected his heart and lower body badly. Besides his illness, Oliveira’s parents supported him with the goal of becoming a martial artist.
At 12 years old, a neighbor introduced him to a Brazilian jiu-jitsu gym where trainer Roger Coelho gave free classes to low-income people. His family helped fund his future training by selling street snacks and discarded cardboard.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Career
Charles Oliveira started training BJJ at a young age when he was 12 years old. In 2004 Oliveira won the São Paulo championship a second time, the Copa Nação Jiu-Jitsu in 2005 and in 2006 won a total of 16 medals. He earned his first title in Sao Paulo State Championship in Junior Division at the White Belt level in 2003 when he was 14 years old.
Charles Oliveira continued his success in BJJ and won Copa Nação Jiu-Jitsu Championship in 2005. In 2007, as a blue belt he became two-time CBJJE World Champion, winning silver the following year as a purple belt, and becoming 2008 CBJJE South American Champion.
In January 2020 Oliveira fought a grappling superfight at the MMA event SFT 20 against Lucas Barros from Demian Maia Jiu-Jitsu. Oliveira and Barros fought with a jiu-jitsu gi in a cage under IBJJF rules.
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Early MMA Career
Oliveira began his career in 2007 in his home country of Brazil, compiling a record of 12-0, with six knockouts and five submissions. In March 2008, Oliveira made his professional debut at the Predador Fight Championship promotion, where his master Jorge Patino had previously participated at Predator FC 6.
The event was the "Predator FC 9 - Welterweight Grand Prix", a one-night single-elimination tournament similar to the "Grand Prix" events held by Pride FC, where the competitors would have to fight three times to be crowned the champion. In the first round, Oliveira defeated Jackson Pontes via submission (rear-naked choke), which advanced him to the second stage of the tournament. Oliveira's second stage fight was against Viscardi Andrade. In the second round, Oliveira won via TKO (punches) and advanced to the final round of the tournament.
Oliveira debuted at lightweight by defeating future UFC fighter Mehdi Baghdad in December 2008 at the first event of promotion "Kawai Arena".
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Career
Oliveira then signed for the UFC and made his debut against Darren Elkins. This fight was originally scheduled for The Ultimate Fighter: Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz Finale, but was rescheduled for UFC Live: Jones vs. Matyushenko due to visa issues. Oliveira defeated Elkins via submission (armbar) after 41 seconds of the first round.
Oliveira was taken down early by Elkins but quickly attempted a triangle choke, before transitioning to an armbar, forcing the tap out. Oliveira next fought against Efrain Escudero at UFC Fight Night 22 replacing an injured Matt Wiman. The bout, which served as co-main event would become a catchweight bout after Escudero weighed in at 159 lb.
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Oliveira faced Nik Lentz on June 26, 2011, at UFC Live: Kongo vs. Barry. The fight ended in the second round after Oliveira hit Lentz with an illegal knee which went unnoticed by the referee and submitted the dazed Lentz via rear-naked choke.
Oliveira was originally meant to face Robert Peralta on January 20, 2012, at UFC on FX: Guillard vs. Miller, but instead faced promotional newcomer Eric Wisely in a featherweight fight on January 28, 2012, at UFC on Fox: Evans vs. Oliveira faced Cub Swanson on September 22, 2012, at UFC 152. Early in the first round, Swanson hit Oliveira with body shots, which visibly appeared to hurt Oliveira.
Oliveira faced Andy Ogle on February 15, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 36. He won the fight via triangle choke submission in the third round. Oliveira was expected to face Nik Lentz in a rematch on September 5, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 50. At the event weigh-in, Oliveira came in over the 146-pound featherweight limit at 150 pounds.
Oliveira faced Max Holloway on August 23, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 74. He lost the fight via TKO in the first round, after suffering an apparent neck/shoulder injury while attempting a takedown, and was rendered unable to continue. The injury was later described as a micro-tear in his esophagus, although Oliveira was released from a Saskatoon hospital the next day, and tested negative for major chest, neck and/or throat injuries.
He later confirmed that he suffered a minor neck injury, related to a previous injury from his training camp. In 2018 joined Chute Boxe Diego Lima in São Paulo. According to him, his former gym Macaco Gold Team (headed by Jorge "Macaco" Patino) was mostly focused BJJ with complementary striking, while he was confident with his groundfighting skills, he felt he needed to improve his striking game.
Oliveira faced returning veteran Christos Giagos on September 22, 2018, at UFC Fight Night 137. He won the fight via submission in the second round. Oliveira faced David Teymur on February 2, 2019, at UFC Fight Night 144. He won the fight in the second round after stunning Teymur with an upward elbow and punches before applying an anaconda choke.
Oliveira faced Kevin Lee on March 14, 2020, as the main event at UFC Fight Night 170. At the weigh-ins, Lee weighed in at 158.5 lbs, 2.5 lbs over the lightweight non-title fight limit of 156 pounds. Oliveira was scheduled to meet Beneil Dariush on October 4, 2020, at UFC on ESPN: Holm vs.
UFC 274 (5/7/22) Oliveira submitted Justin Gaethje via rear naked choke at 3:22 of the first round. Oliveira missed weight for the bout and was forced to relinquish the belt. The decision to strip Oliveira of the championship proved controversial in what was dubbed "scale gate", as other fighters on the UFC 274 card alleged issues with the scales.
Let's rewind for a minute. Charles Oliveira was the UFC no.1 Lightweight champion, the best UFC fighter, and also he is the most dangerous submission grappler. He is famous for most finishes in UFC history. He also owns the highest submission rate in UFC history.
On 22 October 2022, both champions faced each other. Both fighters started the match with high energy. Islam started the match with a left hand and Islam took the top of Oliveira in the start and Oliveira applied full guard. Islam who is famous for not committing any mistakes continuously secured his top position. After a few moments, when Oliveira tripped and tried to take down Islam, Islam countered by reversing and again ended up in the top position. The second round started with heavy striking from both fighters. Oliveira again tried to apply full guard but Islam took this opportunity and applied side control. Islam applied an armbar which proved to be the submission method and Oliveira tapped. He spoke about his match in UFC 280 later and said that he wanted to take part in the next UFC283.
Fighting Style
Oliveira’s fighting style blends high-pressure Muay Thai striking with one of the most dangerous submission games in UFC history. His grappling is regarded as elite even among decorated submission specialists. Oliveira holds the record for most submission wins in UFC history, with a wide arsenal that includes rear-naked chokes, guillotines, triangles, and more unorthodox setups.
What makes him particularly dangerous is his willingness to attack submissions in transition - whether from scrambles, knockdowns, or standing clinch breaks.
Personal Life
In 2025, 405 Films announced it secured the life rights for a biopic based on Oliveira's early years and rise in the UFC. Oliveira resides in Guarujá, living near his old neighbourhood of Vicente de Carvalho, and helps his neighbourhood with regular charities. Oliveira is a Christian and believes in God.
Oliveira was previously nearsighted, and wore eyeglasses all of the time. On having to remove them to fight, he said, "If I take my glasses off, I only see 50 per cent but it never hindered me in a fight", "I see three [faces].
Oliveira's nickname "do Bronxs", literally meaning "from the Bronx", as "Bronx" was a slang used for favelas and poor neighbourhoods. In an interview he revealed: "Bronx is because it's a favela, right? Outskirts, where I come from. "Do Bronxs" practically came when I went to fight in a [amateur] tournament. [...] And they told me to get them a nickname, I was just Charles Oliveira. When we went to fight some jiu-jitsu championships, they always said 'look at the guys from the Bronx, from the favela'.
Championships and Accomplishments
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- UFC Lightweight Championship (One time)
- Most submission wins in UFC history (16)
- Tied for most finishes in UFC history (16)
- Most Performance of the Night bonuses in UFC history (10)
- Fight of the Night (Four times) vs. Performance of the Night (Fourteen times) vs. Submission of the Night (Three times) vs.
- Awards and Nominations
- 2020: President's Choice Performance of the Year Nominee vs.
- 2021: Fan's Choice Comeback of the Year Winner vs. Michael Chandler 1[184] & President's Choice Performance of the Year Nominee vs.
- 2012: Ranked #3 Submission of the Year vs.
- 2014: Submission of the Year vs.
- 2018: Ranked #5 Submission of the Year vs.
- 2019: Ranked #9 Submission of the Year vs.
- 2020: Ranked #5 Submission of the Year vs.
- 2021: Ranked #2 Fighter of the Year[193] & Ranked #10 Fight of the Year vs.
- 2022: Half-Year Awards: Best Fighter of the 1HY[195] & Ranked #8 Submission of the Year vs.
- 2023: Ranked #5 Knockout of the Year vs.
- 2021 Comeback of the Year (tied w/ Sergio Pettis) vs.
- 2014 February Submission of the Month vs.
- 2015 May Submission of the Month vs.
- 2020 March Submission of the Month vs.
- 2021 May Fight of the Month vs.
- 2022 May Submission of the Month vs.
- 2014 Submission of the Year vs.
- 2014 Submission of the Year vs.
- 2021 Comeback of the Year vs.
- 2022 Submission of the Year vs.
- 2022 Submission of the Year vs.
- 2012 Submission of the Year vs.
- 2022 Submission of the Year vs.
Fight History
Here is a summary table of Charles Oliveira's key fights and achievements:
| Event | Outcome | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| UFC Fight Night: Oliveira vs. | Extended the UFC record for most finishes (21) and most submissions (17). | |
| UFC 274 | Oliveira missed weight (155.5 lb) and was stripped of the UFC Lightweight Championship. | |
| UFC Lightweight Championship | Defended the UFC Lightweight Championship. | |
| UFC Lightweight Championship | Won the vacant UFC Lightweight Championship. | |
| UFC Fight Night: Lee vs. | Broke the UFC record for most finishes (17). | Catchweight (158.5 lb) bout; Lee missed weight. |
| UFC Fight Night: Błachowicz vs. | ||
| UFC Fight Night: dos Anjos vs. | ||
| UFC Fight Night: Assunção vs. | Teymur was deducted one point in round 1 due to an eye poke. | |
| UFC on Fox: Lee vs. | ||
| UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. | Broke the UFC record for most submission wins (11). Return to Lightweight. | |
| The Ultimate Fighter Latin America 3 Finale: dos Anjos vs. | ||
| UFC on Fox: Maia vs. | ||
| UFC on Fox: dos Anjos vs. | ||
| UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. | ||
| UFC Fight Night: Condit vs. | Performance of the Night. | |
| UFC Fight Night: Te Huna vs. | ||
| UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. | ||
| UFC on Fox: Evans vs. | Featherweight debut. | |
| UFC Live: Hardy vs. | ||
| UFC Live: Kongo vs. | Originally a submission (rear-naked choke) win for Oliveira; overturned due to an illegal knee. | |
| UFC Fight Night: Marquardt vs. | Catchweight (159 lb) bout; Escudero missed weight. |
Charles Oliveira is a high-ranked UFC fighter who owns the highest submission rate and finishing record. He started his career at the age of 12 with BJJ and ended up the Champion in MMA.