The resurgence of Charles Oliveira is something that has taken everyone by surprise. Five years ago, it looked like his spell with the UFC was drawing to a close following a TKO defeat to Paul Felder, his fourth defeat in his last six fights.
Since then, however, Do Bronx has embarked on an 11-fight win streak, finishing three and defeating one of the greatest fighters the division has ever seen.
The streak led him on a path to the UFC Lightweight Championship, yet he was stripped of the gold at UFC 274 as he failed to make weight (and thus forfeited the championship).
At UFC 280, he has a chance to regain the title he never actually lost in Abu Dhabi. The only thing that stands in his way? Khabib Nurmagomedov’s esteemed training partner turned understudy Islam Makhachev.
The Bookies’ Favorite
Online bookmakers, whose odds and free offers have conveniently been compiled by OddsChecker, have made the 31-year-old Russian the favorite heading into the bout, taking many fans and pundits by surprise.
Admittedly, the Dagestan native is talented; he’s a combat sambo world champion who suffered just one defeat inside the octagon. But his record is hardly impressive, with his most notable victory coming against Dan Hooker.
But then, the same could have been said of friend and coach Khabib, who, up until victories over Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, and Justin Gaethje, didn’t have the most impressive of resumes.
Compare both of them to that of Oliveira, and you will see that there is no comparison at all. But how did the Brazilian make his way from a 22-8 journeyman to the finest fighter on the planet?
Oliveira’s Rise
Oliveira’s reputation was hardly the greatest around the time of his defeat by Felder. It was even said that he tended to quit when the going got tough, based on performances against the likes of Cub Swanson, Donald Cerrone, and Anthony Pettis.
Consequently, Oliveira had some building up to do in 2018 and 2019, and that’s just what he did.
He romped to a six-fight win streak, setting up a showdown with the brash Kevin Lee in March 2020. The Motown Phenom had only suffered losses to Tony Ferguson, Rafael Dos Anjos, and Al Iaquinta in recent years and was expected to perform well. The São Paulo native ended those expectations, finishing Lee in the third round via a guillotine choke to secure his seventh consecutive win.
Gunning for gold
Following that impressive victory, Oliveira would face what was supposed to be his biggest test yet against Tony Ferguson. But El Cucuy was coming off a devastating loss to Justin Gathje – a bout that ended his 12-fight winning streak – and he took a ton of punishment in the process.
It was evident that this Ferguson wasn’t the Ferguson of old, so Oliveira took full advantage, dominating en route to a unanimous decision victory and announcing his arrival to the upper echelons of the lightweight division.
That dominant victory secured the Brazilian a shot at the vacant championship against the powerful Michael Chandler. Many had expected the American to seal the title, and he came close, dropping his opponent in round one and almost finishing the fight. But Oliveira recovered and knocked out Chandler just 19 seconds into the second round to become the new UFC Lightweight Champion and secure the record for most finishes in the promotion’s history.
He was once again the underdog against Dustin Poirier for his first title defence. The Diamond was fresh off the back of knocking out Conor McGregor in Abu Dhabi; however, he had no answer to Do Bronx, who locked in the rear naked choke in the third round and extended his win streak to ten.
Next on the hit list was Gaethje, whose pre-fight antics included calling the champion a quitter and telling him that he would quit again. The Highlight was the betting favorite for their bout at UFC 274, but the champ would again defy the odds and secure another submission victory, this time in the first round.
Next up is Makhachev, who has stated that he will wrestle with the champion and attempt to beat him at his own game. Can Charles Oliveira defy the odds one more time?