Charles Oliveira da Silva, born on October 17, 1989, is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and a fourth-degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He is a former UFC Lightweight Champion, competing in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
Charles Oliveira, former UFC Lightweight Champion. Source: olympicchannel.com
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. 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.
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.
Early Jiu-Jitsu Career
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. 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.
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".
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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.
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.
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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.
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. 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. 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'.
Awards and Achievements
- Fight of the Night (Four times)
- Performance of the Night (Fourteen times)
- Submission of the Night (Three times)
- 2020: President's Choice Performance of the Year Nominee
- 2021: Fan's Choice Comeback of the Year Winner vs. Michael Chandler
- President's Choice Performance of the Year Nominee vs. Michael Chandler
- 2012: Ranked #3 Submission of the Year
- 2014: Submission of the Year
- 2018: Ranked #5 Submission of the Year
- 2019: Ranked #9 Submission of the Year
- 2020: Ranked #5 Submission of the Year
- 2021: Ranked #2 Fighter of the Year & Ranked #10 Fight of the Year
- 2022: Half-Year Awards: Best Fighter of the 1HY & Ranked #8 Submission of the Year
- 2023: Ranked #5 Knockout of the Year
- 2021 Comeback of the Year (tied w/ Sergio Pettis)
- 2014 February Submission of the Month
- 2015 May Submission of the Month
- 2020 March Submission of the Month
- 2021 May Fight of the Month
- 2022 May Submission of the Month
- 2014 Submission of the Year
- 2014 Submission of the Year
- 2021 Comeback of the Year
- 2022 Submission of the Year
- 2022 Submission of the Year
- 2012 Submission of the Year
- 2022 Submission of the Year
Key UFC Fights
Here's a summary of some of Charles Oliveira's key UFC fights:
The Champ Has A Name! 🏆 | Charles Oliveira's Best Finishes | UFC 300
| Date | Event | Opponent | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 22, 2022 | UFC 280 | Islam Makhachev | Loss (Submission) | For the Vacant Lightweight Title |
| May 7, 2022 | UFC 274 | Justin Gaethje | Win (Submission) | Oliveira missed weight and was stripped of the UFC Lightweight Championship prior to the bout. |
| December 11, 2021 | UFC 269 | Dustin Poirier | Win (Submission) | Defended the UFC Lightweight Championship |
| May 15, 2021 | UFC 262 | Michael Chandler | Win (TKO) | Won the vacant UFC Lightweight Championship |
| March 14, 2020 | UFC Fight Night: Lee vs. Oliveira | Kevin Lee | Win (Submission) | Catchweight (158.5 lb) bout; Lee missed weight. |
Charles Oliveira vs Islam Makhachev. Source: skysports.com
Fighting Style and Techniques
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.
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