Some people are born with the wind at their backs, while others face headwinds. Charles Oliveira (Sao Paulo, 1989), the upcoming opponent of Ilia Topuria at UFC 317 in Las Vegas, encountered a hurricane from birth. Do Bronx had to fight for every opportunity in his life, born in a one-room house in the Vicente Carvalho favela in Guarujá, which he shared with six people.
"We had nothing, but I never went hungry, and we never lacked a meal on the table," the fighter recounted about parents who had two jobs to support the family and could barely read and write. Then, at seven years old, the blow came for the family: young Charles suffered from rheumatic fever and a heart murmur that should have prevented him from engaging in intense sports and possibly left him paralyzed.
"If I can't have a normal youth, I'd rather die," he told his father after the diagnosis setback. But faith helped him climb out of the hole, helped him believe, and perhaps helped him not excel in soccer, his favorite sport as a child, but to start in other disciplines like jiu-jitsu, which he began at 11, leaving his health problems behind. "God is number one in everything," comments the Brazilian who embraced that discipline since he tried it, especially to escape the danger he faced daily in the favela.
Initially, things were slow for Oliveira, who had to take on multiple jobs to survive and support his family. "I sold garlic, onions. I worked in a market. I worked in a slaughterhouse. I collected cans and cardboard from the street. I washed trucks. And then, I fought," the fighter revealed about his activities to try to make his parents "work less."
Then came the Brazilian championships at 15 and the world championship at 17. It seemed that Oliveira, a child who could have been paralyzed due to his illness, was going to have a future in sports after all. The young man shifted his focus to MMA, a growing and better-paid discipline than jiu-jitsu, and started winning fights until he signed with the UFC in 2010. The dream was coming true.
However, despite debuting with two victories against Darren Elkins and Efrain Escudero, his performance was very inconsistent in subsequent fights, winning some and losing others. To the point where his contract with the promotion was in jeopardy. Perhaps a significant vision problem that prevented him from clearly seeing his opponents influenced this. "It has never bothered me during the fight, I think God helps me. If I take off my glasses on the street, I think I am practically blind," he has said on occasion. It could also be that his body did not respond to the urgent calls to fight without being well prepared or the weight class changes.
Then, in 2017, his daughter Tayla was born, and that changed his mindset forever. The Brazilian went on a winning streak, nine victories, to become the top contender for the lightweight belt. He achieved it in 2021 in an epic fight against Michael Chandler, whom he defeated by knockout in the second round. A less common finish for him since his background as a jiu-jitsu fighter makes his specialty submission.
In fact, the Brazilian holds the UFC record for most finishes with 20, 16 by submission and four by knockout, out of the 46 fights he has competed in with 35 wins, 10 losses, and one no contest. This number has earned him over a million dollars in bonuses, making him one of the highest-paid fighters in the promotion with an estimated net worth of 2 million dollars. "Money helps you have a better home, help your family, but it doesn't change who you are," Oliveira says.
The Brazilian is one of the most respected fighters in the UFC, which is why he was one of the top choices for Ilia Topuria to enter the lightweight division after Islam Makhachev's refusal, precisely the opponent Oliveira lost to in regaining the belt after the promotion stripped him of it for not making weight on the scale against Justin Gaethje in his second title defense following the victory over Chandler. "I hit harder than him for sure," he threatened the Hispanic-Georgian a few weeks ago. The fight will take place on Sunday around 6:00 am Spanish time.