Veteran to Champion: Charles Oliveira (Patreon)

By Paul

Sherdog.com published a piece back in January 2010 where it listed 10 Brazilians to watch out for that year. First was Renan Barao—toiling away in the Brazilian circuit before signing with the WEC. Soon after, he transitioned to the UFC when the promotion was absorbed. Second on the list was Patricio Freire, better known to MMA fans as "Pitbull." Freire was also plowing through the competition in his native Brazil before Bellator Fighting Championships snatched him up for their tournament series. Both Barao and Pitbull would go on to become champions in their respective organizations. Can you guess who was third on that list? That's right, Charles Oliveira himself. It's quite a feat for someone who could barely move as a child.

At seven years old, Oliveira was diagnosed with a heart murmur and bone rheumatism that attacked his ankles. According to his mother, Ozana Oliveira, he battled with constant pain—and moving around proved difficult. In an interview with ESPN, Ozana said, "The doctor said that he would not walk, that he would stay in a wheelchair. And we said that we would not accept that."

Oliveira spent two years in the hospital, with his mother sleeping on the floor to be close to her son. At age 11, Oliveira was finally given a clean bill of health and allowed to leave. However, doctors advised against any physical activity, especially soccer. This devastated Oliveira, as soccer was his first love. Luckily, Oliveira was introduced to jiu-jitsu by a neighborhood friend. After just two months of training, he won a local tournament.

Oliveira then shifted his focus entirely onto jiu-jitsu. In 2003, he won the Sao Paulo State Championship in the Junior Division as a white belt. After that, Oliveira kept up his winning ways. He racked up victories in the Sao Paulo State Championships in 2004 and the Copa Nação Jiu-Jitsu in 2005. He closed out 2006 with 16 medals in various tournaments at his weight class and the open weight division.

In 2008 (just as he turned 18), Oliveira made his professional MMA debut. A teammate of his had gotten injured, and Oliveira volunteered to take his place. However, there were several problems with this scenario:

1. This was a welterweight bout, and Oliveira barely weighed over 155 pounds.
2. Oliveira was coming in as a replacement without having thoroughly prepared for MMA.
3. Did I say welterweight bout? I meant welterweight Grand Prix, with eight participants in one night.

How did Oliveira do? He finished all three opponents in less than a round apiece. Talk about a hat trick! That tournament kicked off a very promising transition to MMA.

Soon after, Oliveira had won three separate MMA tournaments, fighting multiple times in a single night. He had a perfect record of 12 wins and zero losses before making his UFC appearance in 2010. You might be thinking, "If he was this good, why did he struggle so much in the UFC?"

There's no easy answer to this question, and it's important to dive deep into what kind of fighter Oliveira was before he made his stateside debut.

At 5'10" with a 74" reach, Oliveira is taller and has more range than the average lightweight of the 2010 era. He made sure to make full use of his size by standing erect and always guarding his chin with his forearms. To keep his opponents at bay, Oliveira would throw low kicks and the occasional overhand punches. Since opponents feared going to the ground with him, Oliveira threw his strikes liberally and mixed in takedowns when he got within range. During his time in the Brazilian circuit, this was more or less his go-to game plan.

In his 9th pro fight against Alexandre Bezerra, Oliveira, in black with the gold patch, started the fight with an overhand right into a low kick. This drew a counter harai goshi (hip throw) from Oliveira and began a wild scramble.

Soon after, Oliveira threw a flying knee. Unfortunately, this only resulted in Bezerra getting the takedown and scoring top position.

In the second round, Oliveira was able to land a flurry of knees that forced Bezerra to shoot in. This time, Oliveira was prepared and set up his signature "Bronx" choke, an anaconda choke from the guard. It's the same choke he's caught the likes of Jonathan Brookins and Hatsu Hioki in.

Eight days after this victory, Oliveira took another fight in a different promotion. It could be that he was fighting through exhaustion and/or injury, but his next match-up against Eduardo Pachu showed his limitations.

Oliveira again started the fight with a low kick and punches, wearing the same shorts as his last fight. Even though he secured a takedown, Pachu worked his way back up to his feet.

Oliveira was able to take Pachu down but immediately got put on his back. Pachu was able to stay on top and land some strikes.

On the feet, Pachu timed Oliveira's low kick and landed a clean right straight. The problem with spamming kicks is that you become predictable and allow your opponents to counter. This is made worse by the fact that you're on one leg, severely compromising your balance. Oliveira's habit of keeping his chin high in the air didn't help, making punches easier to land.

Oliveira also had a bad habit of shelling up on defense and moving straight back. Once his feet hit the fence, he circled off to one side, creating opportunities for counters and clinches.

Oliveira's takedowns became more labored as the fight wore on, and when he couldn't take Pachu down, he got stuck on the bottom. Oliveira absorbed some ground and pound before Pachu disengaged and stood back up.

Luckily for Oliveira, the fight was close, and he got the split decision nod. Two additional wins later, he was on his way to the UFC.

In his debut, Oliveira got matched up with Darren Elkins. At that time, Elkins was 11-1 in MMA. His last fight in the UFC was a win over Duane Ludwig. The fight lasted less than a minute.

Elkins shot in when Oliveira was on one leg and quickly got a double leg takedown. Unfortunately, this led to Elkins's demise.

Oliveira scrambled to guard and pushed back Elkin's right hand, and locked in a triangle choke.

Oliveira made this a double threat by going after the armbar as well. Oliveira used Elkin's attempted stack pass to swivel out his hips and hooked his arm on Elkin's leg. Soon after, Oliveira locked in the armbar for good. All in all, a spectacular debut for Oliveira.

A successful second outing against Efrain Escudero gave Oliveira a chance to prove his hype. His next test was against Jim Miller. When they fought at UFC 124, Miller was 18-2 in his MMA career, with a 7-1 record in the UFC. This would be the second wrestler in a row that Oliveira faced. Although he showed poor head movement and retreated in a straight line against Escudero, at least he secured a submission in the third round. No such luck in the Miller fight.

Oliveira hooked his left arm under Miller's leg without wasting any time and went for an armbar. When Miller posted up to avoid the submission, Oliveira transitioned to a triangle choke. This wasn't Miller's first rodeo, and he was able to get back up to his feet.

Feeling as though an early submission was still viable, Olivera attempted a leg entanglement, only to have Miller go for a kneebar of his own. Oliveira punched away at Miller's hips, but he had no choice but to tap to a fully extended kneebar. As a result, his record fell to 2-1 in the UFC. Of course, a single loss shouldn't derail a promising career, but this kicked off a pattern of wins and losses for Oliveira.

As mentioned previously, Oliveira's early striking was all low kicks and overhands. His go-to defensive move was to hold his forearms high and retreat straight back. When he punched, it was from too far away, and he was overly cautious of counters that would come his way. His stance allowed him to maximize his height and reach, but it left his midsection entirely vulnerable.

Against Donald Cerrone, Oliveira absorbed numerous kicks and punch combinations. Eventually, he was overwhelmed and finished by strikes. The loss to Cerrone convinced Oliveira that his real issue was that he wasn't strong enough at lightweight. Oliveira has always claimed to have an easy time cutting to 155 pounds, so he reasoned that moving to featherweight would be better for his long-term goals. Things started well, with Oliveira racking up back-to-back submission wins, even catching his first featherweight opponent, Eric Wisely, in a rare calf slicer submission.

Unlike the Jim Miller fight, Oliveira stuck close to Wisely and kept moving his hips to prevent Wisely from getting comfortable. After grabbing Wisely's waist from behind, the submission was deep.

On a two-fight win streak in the UFC (again), the UFC decided to match him with veteran Cub Swanson. Despite Swanson being the smaller of the two, it was Oliveira who missed the featherweight limit. The fight continued at a catchweight of 146.2 pounds, but Swanson knew that he might be facing a depleted opponent. What better way to test that theory than by hitting the midsection?

Cub Swanson threw straights and hooks to Oliveira's body before he went upstairs with an overhand right. Oliveira lowered his hands to protect the body, only to get dropped moments later. Even before the strikes landed, there was zero head movement to keep Swanson guessing.

It could be that the weight cut left Oliveira in a depleted state. Perhaps Oliveira was fighting through an injury. Whatever the reason, Oliveira got finished in the first round. With a record of four wins, three losses, and one no contest in the UFC, Oliveira knew that his next fight had to be an emphatic victory if he wanted to try and stand out in a crowded 145-pound weight class. Unfortunately, his next opponent, Frankie Edgar, had other plans.

Up to this point, Oliveira's time spent on his feet was limited. He exchanged just enough strikes to either keep his opponents busy before shooting in for a takedown or getting them to panic and react with a takedown of their own. Oliveira's striking was incomplete, and this was made crystal clear in the Edgar fight. Oliveira's stationary head movement, unwillingness to trap his opponents' hands, and lack of checked leg kicks meant he was a sitting duck when he wasn't the one attacking. Even wrestling-based fighters like Escudero, Nik Lentz, and Jonathan Brookins found Oliveira's chin multiple times and chipped away at his legs.

Frankie Edgar cracked Oliveira clean multiple times despite being much shorter. Edgar timed Oliveira's jabs and returned with punches over Oliveira's lead hand.

Edgar also led with hooks to the body to open up punches to the head. There was no reason for Edgar to land so often—Oliveira had the height and reach advantage. Unfortunately, keeping his head stationary proved to be an easy target for Edgar.

Even though Edgar is primarily a wrestler, his high-level submission defense kept him from getting trapped by Oliveira. Instead of long engagements on the ground, Edgar took the opportunities to escape when they presented themselves.

Edgar also timed Oliveira's kicks. He grabbed Oliveira's leg and returned with punches and kicks of his own.

The loss to Edgar was a setback, but it showed Oliveira that he could go the distance with a former champion and even hurt him at times on the feet.

Oliveira then went on a tear, winning five of his next six fights (the lone loss being a bizarre esophagus injury against Max Holloway).

Four of those wins were by submission, with one of them coming by way of his patented Bronx choke. Still confident in his ability to wear gold one day, Oliveira set out to prove it against former lightweight champion Anthony Pettis, who was making his featherweight debut.

The fight against Pettis was exciting. Oliveira constantly threatened with submissions on the ground and was able to land some nice strikes against Pettis. However, this was Pettis from 2016.

Pettis was still dangerous on the feet, and his kicks to Oliveira's wide-open midsection affected his gas tank.

Undeterred, Oliveira stuck to his game plan of being the one who applied the pressure.

Oliveira's aggression is best early in the fights when it overwhelms opponents. It doesn't matter if he gets hit on the way in; Oliveira will continue to march forward until he can grab your hips and initiate a takedown.

Pettis weathered the storm, and Oliveira's all-out assault slowed down. This was when the adverse effects of the weight cut began to show. An exhausted Oliveira shot in on Pettis with a sloppy double leg takedown, and he got submitted for the second time in his career (against a striker, no less). Although embarrassed by the loss, he pressed forward and accepted a fight against Ricardo Lamas. The problem? It was on three weeks' notice and taking place in Mexico City, known for high elevation. The time frame and the location seemed stacked against Oliveira, who had missed weight three times already in his UFC career. The fight proved to be unwise.

When Oliveira stepped on the scale, he was nine pounds over the limit. That's right. He weighed in at 155 pounds for a featherweight fight. This blow-up cost Oliveira 30% of his fight purse, so it was in his best interest to win and try to get that win bonus. Oliveira started the fight well enough. He charged forward and put Lamas on his heels. Soon, he took Lamas's back and went for multiple submission attempts. In particular, one rear-naked choke could have ended the fight, but it came too late in round one.

Round 2 was a different story. Lamas came out and targeted the body of Oliveira. Whether it was the swinging lead hook or rear kick, Lamas could sense that Oliveira was slowing down and hoped that the strikes to the midsection would speed up his demise. An ill-timed takedown from Oliveira was reversed by Lamas, who was able to get on top.

While in side control, Oliveira attempted to trap Lamas's head to set up his escape. He ended up in the turtle position briefly before he went for another takedown. This time, Lamas was prepared and went for a guillotine choke. It took some time, but Oliveira tapped.

This was Oliveira's first back-to-back loss by submission, and it occurred in the same fashion. First, he got submitted when he attempted reactive takedowns while in an exhausted state. Then, adding insult to injury, Oliveira got penalized in both matches for missing weight—meaning he lost a sizeable portion of his pay. Something had to change. Fortunately for Oliveira, things were finally falling into place to become who he was meant to be in MMA.

To start, Oliveira made his return to the lightweight division. He would no longer be among the biggest in the division, but it also meant that he didn't have to worry about a weight cut that was ruining his career. He showed that he still had strength at lightweight by submitting Will Brooks in under one round. Brooks was a former Bellator lightweight champion and had never been submitted before. However, there was something else about this fight.

Oliveira has never been known for his head movement, but he started to slip to his side and feint with his shoulders in the Brooks fight. He would present his head and withdraw when Brooks came forward. This was a significant difference from his last fight against Lamas, where he would pin his hand against his cheek for defense and eat straight punches down the middle.

Look at how Oliveira absorbed the strikes from Lamas when he kept his head in place with his chin in the air, but against Brooks, he kept his head in constant motion.

Soon after, Oliveira tied up Brooks and took him down with an inside trip takedown. Brooks did his best to survive, but Oliveira was all over him and sunk in a rear-naked choke a minute later (while standing, no less).

Oliveira suffered a setback against Paul Felder in late 2017. However, even in this loss, there were improvements in Oliveira's game.

Oliveira ducked under Felder's right hook and secured a body lock. Then, instead of muscling him back against the cage, Oliveira lifted Felder in one direction before reversing. Now entirely off-balance, Oliveira had an easy time taking down Felder.

The Oliveira of 2015 would have tried to smother Felder against the fence or try for a knockout with a wild spinning kick. Oliveira got the 'L' but has been on a tear since.

In recent years, Oliveira added patience and improved pacing. People remember the Clay Guida fight because Oliveira submitted him in classic fashion with a guillotine choke. They don't recall his improvements in striking or that he took the fight on 12 days' notice.

Instead of his usual forward march, Oliveira stayed light on his feet and threw his knees to dissuade Guida from shooting in. Oliveira also added front kicks to keep Guida at bay.

Just three months later, Oliveira returned to the Octagon to face Christos Giagos. It might have been a quick turnaround, but the opportunity to fight again in Brazil was too alluring.

Against Christos Giagos, Oliveira threw kicks as usual but withdrew to let Giagos come forward. Once Giagos took the bait and swung with an overhand, Oliveira secured an easy takedown.

Oliveira has always done well with reactive takedowns, but he still used a fair amount of force to get his opponents to the ground. His timing was getting better, which meant he didn't have to dip into his gas tank to pull off moves. Not that it mattered too much since Oliveira seemed to be filling into his frame finally. Oliveira was always lanky, and the cut down to featherweight seemed to keep him from adding muscle. At 155 pounds, Oliveira was able to increase his strength training and show some serious power.

In his rematch with Jim Miller, Oliveira again stayed light on his feet and showed a lot more lateral movement than in his first fight. Miller was the aggressor, but Oliveira was ready for him when he stepped in too close with a kick.

Oliveira cross-checked Miller's kick and dove in on his hips. Notice how Oliveira cleared his leg to make sure Miller's leg hook was removed. From there, he hoisted Miller up and slammed him on his side.

This was a different Oliveira. Granted, Miller was in the twilight of his career, but to see him get rag-dolled by someone he had previously taken down with ease was shocking. In a reversal from their first fight, Miller found himself on the end of the submission early in round one. Having finished 2018 with three wins (all by submission), Oliveira wanted to keep that streak going. To start 2019, he got matched up against David Teymur. Teymur was on a five-fight win streak of his own and had never been submitted in his MMA career. As a former Swedish National Kickboxing Champion, it seemed as if Teymur would have the advantage on the feet. Instead, it was Oliveira who ended up hurting Teymur with his strikes.

In a display of improved fight IQ, Oliveira avoided the hand traps of Teymur and responded with hooks and uppercuts. Every time Teymur pawed at him with his lead hand, Oliveira would grab his wrist and throw a strike from the opposite side. When Teymur got frustrated and charged in, a front kick to the stomach stopped him in his tracks. Oliveira no longer relied on forward movement and low kicks. Instead, he had a bevy of front kicks, knees up the middle, and flying kicks to keep and cover the distance.

Oliveira slipped a jab and responded with an upward elbow, the same kind that Anderson Silva used to knock out Tony Fryklund. This stumbled Teymur back and set up the barrage of punches and eventual anaconda choke.

It wasn't flashy, but Oliveira did show off a stronger left hook in his most recent fights. Like Michael Bisping, the addition of a counter left hook balanced his striking arsenal. Instead of retreating and letting opponents chase him, the left hook stops them in their tracks and can transition into a collar tie. From there, Oliveira can throw uppercuts and knees if the opportunities arise.

If opponents are careless and dip to avoid the collar tie, Oliveira will snatch up a front headlock. He has three main points of attack from here: the guillotine, D'Arce, and anaconda choke. If none of these pan out, Oliveira can drag them forward and take their back. He's essentially letting his opponents pick their poison.

This was on full display in Oliveira's third fight against Nik Lentz. The two had fought twice before, with the first being declared a no-contest and Oliveira submitting Lentz in the rematch. During their trilogy fight, it was clear that Oliveira's striking improvements weren't just a fluke. He constantly caught Lentz's kicks and countered.

In the second round, Lentz had his kick caught again, only for Oliveira to land a right straight flush on his chin.

Oliveira was no longer happy with just having the UFC record for most submission wins. He wanted to let everyone in the division know that his strikes aren't just setups for his takedowns. Jared Gordon, his last opponent of 2019, found this out the hard way.

Oliveira didn't mind sliding back when Gordon advanced but made sure to lead with raised knees when he was the one moving forward.

Soon after, Oliveira countered a body lock by Gordon with a beautifully timed uchi mata (inner thigh throw) and threatened him with an armbar.

Gordon escaped back to his feet but became aware of the danger he was in when the fight hit the ground. Oliveira pressed forward with low kicks and hooks to the head, unafraid of takedown attempts.

Gordon jabbed in with his face first, which gave Oliveira a perfect target for the short right hook. Gordon bounced back up, this time to be met with a right uppercut.

Oliveira was now on a six-fight win streak, all finishes before the third round. He held the record for most submission wins (11 of them), and the only thing missing before a title shot was a victory over a top-ranked opponent. Enter Kevin Lee.

This was the match-up where Oliveira put it all together. Up until this point, critics could point out that Oliveira was on a winning streak, but he fought only unranked opponents and has-beens. Not a single fight from 2018 to 2019 had gone past the second round; how would his gas tank hold up when the bell rings for the third? His striking improved, but he had yet to finish a top contender with punches or kicks. After the Lee match, there was no question that this was a different Oliveira.

Heading into this fight, Lee was coming off an impressive KO victory over Gregor Gillespie. It finally looked like Lee found a way to take advantage of his 77" reach. Oliveira's 74" reach wasn't going to be enough.

While moving his head, Oliveira threw front kicks to Lee's body and head. He mixed in conventional kicks with jumping ones, which seemed reckless. However, the kicks forced Lee to retreat. The crisp punches got Lee to move his forearms up to block. Before he knew it, Lee had his back against the fence. This is no longer the same Oliveira that was eating overhand punches from the likes of Swanson and Edgar.

Oliveira threw plenty of spinning kicks and straight punches to take away open space. Even when Lee tried to force his way in with strikes, Oliveira countered with uppercuts and right straights (like in the Gordon fight). In boxing, Vasyl Lomachenko utilizes a similar strategy where he'll shove opponents under his armpits so when they pop out, he can nail them with punches and not get called for holding.

It was clear that the striking was going Oliveira's way, so Lee decided that his best chance at victory would be to take Oliveira down and pass his guard. Outside of former champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, there aren't a lot of lightweights that excel at this. Unfortunately for Lee, Oliveira is one of the best grapplers in the division, and he tied up Lee's legs at every opportunity.

Oliveira popped open his half guard to reap Lee's open leg even when Lee had side control. Lee's authority on the ground was sporadic at best, and Oliveira's leg entanglements had Lee walking on a razor's edge. Lee never looked comfortable exchanging leg attacks with Oliveira, and Oliveira's transitions while on the bottom kept Lee from unloading with ground and pound.

Oliveira's leg entanglements allow him to ensure that opponents are off balance and unable to maintain a stable base. In addition, Oliveira constantly redirects his opponent's knee, making sure that they can't plant their foot down.

Oliveira has always hunted for submissions off his back, and rarely does he stay still. Instead, he's usually trying for armbars that bait reactions from his opponents. When opponents fight off the armbar by sitting up, Oliveira will switch to a triangle. This causes opponents to shift their bodies to one side, creating an opening for sweeps.

The submission-to-sweep chain was on full display in this fight. When Lee felt the danger and tried to withdraw, Oliveira attempted an armbar, only to transition to an omoplata before settling on a triangle choke. Lee escaped, but he was not safe anywhere.

When round three started, Lee was exhausted and out of options.

When Lee absorbed one front kick too many, he attempted a single leg takedown. From here, Oliveira had his choice of favorite submissions: D'Arce, anaconda, or guillotine. Lee walked right into a front headlock before Oliveira transitioned into a guillotine and got the tap. Oliveira had just beaten a top-five opponent, but the lightweight title picture was messy.

Khabib Nurmagomedov was the champion, but COVID-19 travel restrictions kept him in Russia. Justin Gaethje beat Tony Ferguson for the interim lightweight title, so he was slotted to be Nurmagomedov's next title defense. Not wanting to wait around until 2021, Oliveira wanted to squeeze in at least one more fight in 2020. He got his wish against former interim champion Tony Ferguson. When they fought in December 2020, the results were shocking.

Ferguson started the round with his usual stance switches, but Oliveira was prepared. The constant low kicks of Oliveira thwarted the stance switching. If anything, it was Oliveira who was moving from orthodox to southpaw fluidly. From orthodox, Oliveira targeted Ferguson's calves with kicks from his rear leg. When Oliveira switched to southpaw, he aimed for the inside of Ferguson's legs. These two kicks kept Ferguson off balance and unable to jab.

Instead of plodding forward, Oliveira applied pressure without absorbing much damage. Again, he used various kicks to maintain distance, and his counter hooks allowed him to hit Ferguson when he stuck his chin in the air and moved straight back. While Ferguson was all over the place, Oliveira's footwork and positioning were immaculate.

When Ferguson thought a kick was coming for his legs, Oliveira went high and caught Ferguson right behind the ear. Although it was partially blocked, the strike landed. Ferguson stumbled forward, and Oliveira followed up with some punches.

Oliveira then clinched up with Ferguson and secured a body lock. He then picked Ferguson up and slammed him down into side control. It was one thing to take down the likes of Felder and Lee, but to do that against someone like Ferguson was special. Oliveira used Ferguson's scrambles from the bottom to transition to full mount on the ground and punched him some more.

At the end of the first round, Oliveira got a hold of Ferguson's left arm and secured the armbar. It was locked in tight, to the point where Oliveira got Ferguson's forearm under his armpit and fully extended the armbar. The bell saved Ferguson, but the damage was done.

Ferguson's left arm seemed compromised from that point on, possibly from the armbar and the blocked high kick.

Oliveira timed a right hand with a knee tap that he turned into a single leg takedown. This was precisely the move that Frankie Edgar used on him years ago. Ferguson was stuck on the bottom, and even an attempted buggy submission wasn't enough to save him.

Ferguson came out aggressive in the third round, but Oliveira caught a high kick on his forearm and tripped him down. Oliveira kept Ferguson on the ground for the rest of the fight and went for multiple submissions attempts with a very close triangle armbar. When the bell rang at the end of round 3, there was no question that Oliveira was the winner. He won 30-26 on all three scorecards.

When Nurmagomedov retired from the sport, there was suddenly a vacancy at the top. Oliveira rightfully took his place as the A-side of the title fight, with UFC newcomer Michael Chandler taking the other. Although Chandler was 1-0 in the UFC, he was coming off an emphatic victory over Dan Hooker and was a Bellator lightweight champion. After 28 fights and 11 years in the UFC, Charles Oliveira was finally getting his title shot. This is the longest road to a title shot by a UFC fighter in its entire history. Oliveira made his shot count.

After their gloves touched, Oliveira threw kicks to off-balance Chandler. Then, five seconds into the fight, Oliveira's calf kicks caught Chandler as he was on one leg and briefly swept him down.

The front kicks to the body were an intelligent move by Oliveira and his team. Chandler is explosive, but nothing takes the wind out of your sails like repeated strikes to the midsection. This is the same way that Conor McGregor was able to slow down Chad Mendes, another dynamic wrestler with heavy hands.

Not one to back down, Chandler immediately popped up and got on the attack. When Oliveira raised his knee for a Thai check, Chandler pumped out his jab to set up his right straight. Oliveira was prepared for punches to the head, but he absorbed the straight to his body. Chandler then retreated in a straight line, with his hand slightly dipped to his chest level. If this looks familiar, that's because it's the same retreat that Oliveira had been using for the bulk of his career. This is dangerous because moving straight back is how you become predictable and easier for opponents to time counters.

Chandler didn't have time to adjust since he stunned Oliveira with a lead hook seconds later. Oliveira was rocked, so he got deep into Chandler's hips and got a double leg takedown. From there, it was vintage Oliveira. After he fought off a guillotine attempt, Oliveira passed Chandler's half guard and took his back.

Chandler tried to slam his way out, but it only allowed Oliveira to tighten a body triangle. Chandler is a former world champion, but his wrestling instincts to go to his knees allowed Oliveira to predict where Chandler's hips would go. Even when Chandler exploded up, Oliveira attempted a triangle to keep Chandler down. Chandler still escaped to his feet, and Oliveira got back up to oblige another striking exchange. It didn't go well for Oliveria.

Chandler's lead hook and right straight caught Oliveira on the chin, and follow-up punches dropped Oliveira to his knees. Oliveira did his best to recover by moving his head before getting full guard. While getting pummeled by Chandler's ground and pound, Oliveira never stopped going for submissions. Oliveira went for armbars, grapevined Chandler's legs, and tried for upkicks when Chandler stood straight. The tide seemed to have turned in Chandler's favor.

With all the confidence in the world, Chandler started round 2 the same way he started round 1, with a jab to hide a right straight to the body. But, this time, Oliveira was ready.

When he retreated, Chandler didn't bring his right hand back up to his chin, and Oliveira planted a perfectly timed left hook. In contrast, Oliveira's right hand remained glued to his jaw when he was finishing his combination punches. Chandler stumbled back, only to get rushed by Oliveira and finished by—you guessed it—a left hook. The same punch that won title belts for Michael Bisping and Jan Błachowicz also did the same for Charles Oliveira.

Just like that, the skinny kid from Sao Paulo, Brazil, inserted himself into the UFC record books as not only the 11th official lightweight champion but the fighter with both the most finishes and submission wins. But, despite all his accolades, the road doesn't get any easier from here.

The lightweight division is full of contenders that could dethrone Oliveira. Dustin Poirier is going through a resurgence of his own and is next in line. Justin Gaethje's blend of low kicks and improved shot selection makes him dangerous for anyone at 155 pounds. Ground specialists like Beneil Dariush and Islam Makhachev could match Oliveira when the fight hits the canvas. There are no smooth sailings from here. If Oliveira wants to stay champion, he must keep evolving as a fighter while maintaining his grappling. Luckily for Oliveira, just because he has made it to the top doesn't mean he's forgotten his roots.

His nickname, "Do Bronx," is Brazilian slang used to refer to someone who is "of the favela." For those that may not be familiar, a favela is a sectioned-off part of the city for the urban poor. Think dystopian movie. For Oliveira, this is something he embraces. As he told ESPN Brazil, “I still live in Vicente de Carvalho. I live in a different place, a little better house. I always try to seek improvements for us, but I live within the community. I think we have to be where we feel good. You have to be with who you feel good with, no matter who you are, how much [money] you are going to have, who you are going to be. I know where I came from, and I know where I want to go, but it is not because I want to go far that I have to get away from my origins."

Oliveira may not have been referring to his fighting style when talking to ESPN, but it's still an apt comparison: Charles from the favela. It's taken him from the streets of Sao Paulo to championship gold.

A fighter's profession is short, and never living up to their hype is common. MMA athletes tend to peak around nine years into their careers before slowly (or sometimes, rapidly) declining. But for Oliveira, it was not an overnight success story. For "Do Bronx," his time as a UFC champion came 14 years after his debut and over a decade in the UFC. It's hard to see what the future holds for the veteran turned champion, but it's already a career worthy of the history books.