Charles Oliveira did not make the weigh-in of 155-pound limit for the fight with Justin Gaethje, coming in at 0.5 pounds over.
The fight went on though, with Oliveira stripped of his title though his challenger had the chance to take the title with a win.
Oliveira was the favourite in sports betting for the fight and Dana White, UFC President, acknowledged that Oliveira is arguably the best Lightweight in the world right now.
True Style
The Brazilian fighter is a dangerous Muay Thai fighter that can attack opponents with hard punches and low kicks. He stands tall and steps lightly with his lead leg. He pins his elbows to his chest and has his defensive hands close to his temples.
He pressures his opponents with immense self-confidence, evident in taking control of the fight with Gaethje where he took control of the event after his opponent showed hesitations.
Oliveira’s style works so well for him, which is evident in the fact he remains unbeaten since December 2017 when Paul Fleder defeated him in two rounds. He is a complete mixed martial artist, who somehow seems to continue to improve, and his striking is now just as much a weapon as his submissions.
Oliveria is a submission specialist, winning once again by submission in his fight with Gaethje. Using a rear-naked choke, Oliveira now has 19 stoppage victories, which is the most in UFC company history. He also now has 16 submission victories, which is a UFC company record as well.
Below we profile some of Oliveira’s biggest submission victories:
1. Vs Eric Wisely in 2012
There have been many different submission moves used across the UFC, though Oliveira has managed to bring out some of the rarest.
In this bout, Oliveira managed to use a modified calf slicer, which is an incredibly brutal submission that does incredible damage to the opponent’s leg. It is rare due to see a fighter even attempt to use it with such a low percentage of success.
The move started with a heel hook that Wesley managed to evade, however he was unable to completely free his leg. Oliveira managed to wrap his legs around the limb before pulling him back with a rear waist lock.
2. Vs David Teymur in 2019
Another rare move, the anaconda choke, was used here to defeat Teymur. A move similar to the guillotine choke, has helped Oliveira win three different fights though this one could be considered the biggest.
In the second round, Oliveira stunned Teymur with some punches and moved in for the submission. Snapping Teymur down from a standing position with a grip around his neck he rolled into an anaconda choke which saw Teymur tap out quickly.
3. Vs Darren Elkins in 2010
This will be remembered due to it being Oliveira’s debut in the UFC. He secured a successful win by submission to mark his debut in under a minute in the first round via arm-bar.
He started off confident, even though he was slammed to the ground early on but managed to get a triangle choke hold before Elkins fell onto his side and Oliveira used the arm-bar.
This fight was his 13th consecutive win, and a debut win in the UFC which showed his opponents his grappling abilities.
4. Vs Will Brooks in 2017
Here, Oliveira used one of the most common choke holds in UFC, the rear-naked choke hold. With its ease of use it is not surprising that Oliveira has a number of wins through this hold.
In this fight though, Oliveira was considered the underdog against the former Bellator lightweight champion.
Brooks was taken down twice in the fight before the final submission and despite being in a standing position at the start of the hold, he tapped out quickly and took the defeat.
5. Vs Kevin Lee in 2020
Oliveira secured an impressive victory over Kein Lee with a guillotine choke in his first appearance as a headline fighter in the UFC.
As the main event, Oliveira took his UFC record to seven wins from seven in the first 30 seconds of the third round. He took the victory in a strong defensive move as Lee looked to take him down.
After the fight Lee admitted to being so ‘out of it’ that he didn’t even remember tapping out. He appeared to pass out momentarily with the hold and did attempt to take Oliveira down after the fight had finished.
For Oliveira now, the title fight is next. Defeating Gaethje has meant he will take place in the title bout, should he make weight. He looks set to face Islam Makhachev in the title fight should the 30-year-old Russian fighter get past Beniel Dariush in their match up.
Oliveira is having some time away to recover and celebrate back in his home of Brazil and looks set for a return in late 2022 to fight for the official title.