A fighter hurling from the favelas of Brazil, Charles Oliveira is the exemplification of everything that the sport stands for – that is, giving everyone with the right skill set and heart to rise to the top. Oliveira showed his signature skillset early in his MMA career, getting a submission in his very first fight in the UFC, against Efrain Escudero. From there, it looked a little shaky for the (now) future hall of famer – winning some and losing some.
His break came in 2020, where his win over Tony Ferguson thrust him into the spotlight – from there it was only up for “Do Bronx”. Fighting Michael Chandler for the vacant belt, he shocked the world by TKOing the American juggernaut and then going on an unprecedented run in which he beat both Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje. In October this year, he lost the vacant title to Islam Makhachev, but expect the Brazilian to rebound.