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 and currently competes in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
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Charles Oliveira
Early Life and Career
At age 7, Oliveira was diagnosed with a heart murmur and rheumatic fever, leading doctors to advise against sports. However, his parents encouraged him, and his condition improved over time. At 12, a neighbor introduced him to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, where trainer Roger Coelho offered free classes to low-income individuals. His family supported his training by selling street snacks and discarded cardboard.
Oliveira began his career in 2007 in Brazil, achieving a record of 12-0 with six knockouts and five submissions. In March 2008, he debuted professionally at the Predador Fight Championship promotion.
Early Fights and UFC Debut
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". Oliveira then signed for the UFC and made his debut against Darren Elkins.
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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.
Controversies and Setbacks
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.
Return to Lightweight and Title Implications
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 UFC 274 Debacle
Charles Oliveira was sensationally stripped of his undisputed UFC lightweight title after twice failing to hit championship weight ahead of his bout with Justin Gaethje at UFC 274. The official weigh-in session in Phoenix, Arizona saw former interim champion Gaethje hit the lightweight championship limit of 155 pounds without fuss. But, despite earlier tweeting to suggest that he was on weight, Oliveira did not show in the early stages of the session.
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Oliveira’s early no-show drew concerns that perhaps his weight cut had not gone as well as he was suggesting on social media and, as the clock ticked down, those concerns turned into genuine worry about the Brazilian’s ability to make weight for his title defence. Oliveira eventually arrived right at the end of the two-hour window and, after initially tipping the scale at 156 pounds, registered an official weight of 155.5 after disrobing. Per commission rules, he was then granted a further hour to lose the remaining half pound but, after using almost all of that time to try to trim down to championship weight, Oliveira returned to the scale and once again registered a weight of 155.5 pounds.
It was then officially confirmed that Oliveira had been stripped of his title, though his bout with Gaethje will go ahead, as planned. As the fighter who made championship weight, Gaethje is still able to win the title, and will claim the vacant belt if he defeats Oliveira in Saturday night’s main event. However, if Oliveira goes on to claim victory, the championship will remain vacant.
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.
UFC 274: Official Weigh-In Results
Here are the official weigh-in results from UFC 274:
| Fighter | Weight (lbs) |
|---|---|
| Charles Oliveira | 155.5* |
| Justin Gaethje | 155 |
| Rose Namajunas | 115 |
| Carla Esparza | 115 |
| Michael Chandler | 156 |
| Tony Ferguson | 155.5 |
| Mauricio Rua | 205.5 |
| Ovince Saint Preux | 205 |
| Donald Cerrone | 155.5 |
| Joe Lauzon | 155.5 |
*Oliveira missed weight and was stripped of the UFC Lightweight Championship.
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Charles Oliveira vs Justin Gaethje
Fighting Style and Legacy
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 and Achievements
Oliveira resides in Guarujá, living near his old neighborhood of Vicente de Carvalho, and helps his neighborhood 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 neighborhoods. 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)
- 2021: Fan's Choice Comeback of the Year Winner vs. Michael Chandler
He also holds numerous Submission of the Year awards and has broken and extended the UFC record for most finishes (21) and most submissions (17).