The Lightweight Division has long been home to some of the most captivating fighters throughout the UFC’s history. Superstars like Conor McGregor, Khabib Nurmagomedov and B.J. Penn have all fought at 145 lb, bringing in millions of viewers to the promotion’s ever-growing audience.

The division is often categorised as the toughest in the roster, yet few former champions have fought through adversity better than the current holder: Charles Oliveira. A so-far 14-year MMA career has been crammed with a mixture of highs and lows, and the journey is set to take another step next weekend at UFC 274.

Early Inconsistency

Oliveira has made a name for himself as one of the best finishers at President Dana White’s disposal. Just three of the Brazilian’s 29 UFC bouts have gone the distance, showcasing the frightening ability that his opponents must overcome. Unfortunately for ‘Do Bronx’, there were difficult periods earlier on his promotion career which saw him on the receiving end of multiple premature stoppages.

Before the beginning of his current unbeaten streak, Oliveira won just nine out of his first 17 UFC fights between 2010 and 2018, being finished himself in seven. Not the record often associated with a champion. The last of these came at the hands of Paul Felder, a bout which saw the now 32-year-old attempt to tap out to punches, an act many avid fight fans criticised him for.

Despite this, Oliveira was still taking on some of the most dangerous fighters possible, as well as repeatedly bouncing between featherweight and lightweight. The constant inconsistencies meant he could never make his way to the pinnacle of either division, however, and the majority of the MMA fanbase never really thought of the Brazilian as a serious threat for the belt.

Recent Success

After succumbing to the onslaught of Felder at UFC 218, even the most controversial of promotion enthusiasts would not have predicted what was to come next. Oliveira’s next matchup came six months later, where he took on MMA veteran Clay Guida. ‘Do Bronx’ overcame his opponent with ease, completing a guillotine submission after just two minutes and 18 seconds. It certainly didn’t seem to signify much at the time, but this was to be the beginning of an outrageous winning streak which would last until modern day. This would subsequently coincide with his switching of camps to Chute Boxe Diego Lima.

The Brazilian would go on to win all seven of his fights over the next year-and-a-half, ending the contest early in all but one of them. He took on the likes of Kevin Lee, Jim Miller and the well-renowned Tony Ferguson during this period, emerging victorious pretty convincingly against all of them.

Throughout these eighteen months, Oliveira’s impressive run had seemingly gone under the radar. The division was under the dominating rule of Khabib Nurmagomedov and his violent rivalry with the notorious Conor McGregor. After the former retired from MMA in October 2020, the lightweight belt was left unguarded and up for grabs for someone to claim. Oliveira had been steadily climbing the ranks, and White saw fit to arrange a title fight between the Brazilian and promotion newcomer Michael Chandler at UFC 262.

Despite getting knocked down in the first couple of minutes during one of Chandler’s several flurries of punches, ‘Do Bronx’ claimed a second-round victory. He cracked the American with a perfectly timed left hook 6 seconds in, sending him flailing down to the canvas. Ten seconds later, referee Dan Miragliotta waved off the fight.

Oliveira was now the undisputed Lightweight champion – before the Guida fight he hadn’t even been ranked. Although he hadn’t had to beat Khabib for the belt, it was still an incredible underdog story that the fanbase hadn’t seen for a while (arguably since Rose Namajunas beat Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 217). His next fight, however, was to be against the hard-hitting Dustin Poirier, fresh off the back of two wins against McGregor.

This defence is widely regarded as the 32-year-old’s magnum opus. Few gave Oliveira a chance last December, and despite again being dropped quite easily in the first round, he utilised his excellent Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu skillset to drain the American of energy and earn another submission victory via rear-naked choke.

UFC 274

Next weekend marks the long-awaited bout between ‘Do Bronx’ and stand-up artist Justin Gaethje. The latter has been gunning for a title shot since falling short to Khabib back in 2020, coming off the back of a decision win against Chandler at UFC 268 last November. Both of Oliveira’s title fight opponents have had a similar fighting style, and the latest is certainly no different. It’s almost guaranteed that the Brazilian will come into the bout with a ground game plan, comparable to what he showed in his performance against Poirier.

The 32-year-old is most dangerous from the back, and his Jiu-Jitsu transitions make it extremely challenging to keep him away from that area (even if his opponent is standing). A 3^rd degree black belt in BJJ, he averages 2.5 takedowns every 15 minutes; compare this to the fact he attempts 2.8 on average in the same amount of time, and you’ve got a terrifying octagon counterpart. Gaethje’s takedown defence is not exceptional at just 73% (his main downfall against Khabib), therefore the American will have to improve going into the main event.

Chandler also unfortunately discovered that Oliveira’s stand-up game can’t be overlooked. The champion has earned three knockout victories in his last six fights, landing 3.4 significant strikes on average per minute. The 32-year-old does, however, absorb 3.1 strikes every 60 seconds, which will be a worrying amount going into a bout against the overwhelming nature of Gaethje.

UFC 274 may mark the most challenging fight of Oliveira’s career so far, but if there’s anything that the man from Guarujá knows, it’s how to beat the odds.

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