Charles Oliveira da Silva is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist born in October 17th, 1989.
He currently competes in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is the reigning UFC Lightweight Champion.
A professional competitor since 2008, Oliveira mainly competed in small Brazilian promotions until his move to the UFC in 2010.
He holds multiple UFC records, notably the most submission wins in the organization’s history at 14, and for most finishes at 17.
As of November 9, 2021, he is #8 in the UFC men’s pound-for-pound rankings.
UFC Profile – Charles Oliveira – UFC Streak into Champion Status
2018:
- Oliveira vs Guida:
Oliveira faced Clay Guida at UFC 225, replacing an injured Bobby Green.
He won the fight via guillotine choke submission in the first round.
The win earned him his fifth Performance of the Night bonus.
- Oliveira vs. Giagos
Oliveira faced returning veteran Christos Giagos on September 22, 2018 at UFC Fight Night 137.
He won the fight via submission in the second round. With this win, Oliveira passed Royce Gracie for the most submission wins (11) in UFC history.
This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.
- Oliveira vs. Miller
Oliveira faced Jim Miller in a rematch on December 15, 2018 at UFC on Fox 31.
He won the fight via a rear-naked choke submission early in the first round.
The win earned him a 7th Performance of the Night award (setting a new record), and extended the record for most submissions in UFC History with 12.
2019
- Oliveira vs. Teymur
Oliveira faced David Teymur on February 2, 2019 at UFC Fight Night 144.
He won the fight in the second round after stunning Teymur with an upward elbow and punches before applying an anaconda choke.
With this win, Oliveira extended the UFC record for most submission wins to thirteen.
This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.
- Oliveira vs. Lentz
As the first fight of his new, five-fight contract, a trilogy fight with Nik Lentz took place on May 18, 2019 at UFC Fight Night 152.
Oliveira won the fight via TKO in the second round.
- Oliveira vs. Gordon
Replacing Leonardo Santos, Oliveira then faced Jared Gordon on November 16, 2019 at UFC on ESPN+ 22.
Oliveira won the fight by knockout in the first round.
This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.
2020
- Oliveira vs. Lee
Oliveira faced Kevin Lee on March 14, 2020 as the main event at UFC Fight Night 170.
At the weigh-ins, Lee weighed in at 158.5 lbs, 2.5 lbs over the lightweight non-title fight limit of 156 pounds.
Lee was fined 20% of his purse and his bout with Oliveira was expected to proceed as scheduled at a catchweight.
Oliveira won the fight via submission with a guillotine choke in the third round.
This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.
With this win, Oliveira also extended the UFC record for most submission wins to 14.
He also moved to second place in terms of bonuses received with 16, and extended his finishing streak to 7.
- Oliveira vs. Ferguson
Oliveira faced Tony Ferguson on December 12, 2020 at UFC 256 in the co-main event.
After a dominant three rounds, he won the fight via unanimous decision.
This win earned him his eleventh Performance of the Night award.
2021 – The Championship Fight
- Oliveira vs. Chandler
Oliveira faced former three–time Bellator Lightweight Champion Michael Chandler for the vacant UFC Lightweight Championship, while headlining UFC 262 on May 15, 2021.
Despite being dropped by Chandler in the first round, Oliveira won the fight via technical knockout early in the second round to claim the UFC Lightweight Championship.
With the knockout win, he broke yet another record, recording the most finishes in UFC history.
This win also earned Oliveira the Performance of the Night bonus award.