Issue 194

January 2021

UFC 256 was supposed to mark the return of Tony Ferguson, with "El Cucuy" scheduled for his first fight since his win streak was snapped by Justin Gaethje for the interim lightweight title.

The focus ahead of the event centered on Ferguson and what his demeanor would be in his return. He hadn’t suffered from two weight cuts this time, and was eager to prove to the MMA world he still belonged among the best lightweights in the world. However, the MMA gods saw things differently, and a resurgent Charles Oliveira crashed the party as he obliterated any hope of Ferguson returning to the title picture in the near future.

Where has this version of Charles Oliveira been all this time? It’s easy for names in the lightweight division to fade to relative obscurity in such a deep division where any loss has such gravitational consequences.

Oliveira certainly rings a bell among fans, he’s been in there with the company’s finest to no avail, including Max Holloway, Anthony Pettis, Frankie Edgar, and Donald Cerrone. He portrayed a hungry fighter with a willingness to fight anyone, anywhere, yet was only scratching the surface of the elite level demanded by the UFC to earn a shot at the 155-pound title.

Oliveira has ridden a succession of waves as he has experienced alternating highs and lows throughout his career, stringing together a few win streaks in the lower reaches of the lightweight rankings, only to be batted back down when a superior foe was called. This pattern was replicated across two weight classes, as Oliveira kickstarted his career at lightweight and, after a tough losing streak, sought success at featherweight, only to be plagued with injuries and poor weight cuts that ultimately forced him back up for another run at lightweight.

His second run has been markedly different. He's won 10 of his last 11, with only one of those wins coming on the scorecards. That decision was in his most recent outing against Ferguson.

Now Oliveira seems to have found his groove, with an eight-fight win streak that features five submissions and two knockouts. Furthermore, victories over contenders such as Kevin Lee back in March 2020 add further credibility to his recent run. Lee was coming off an unbelievable head-kick knockout of Gregor Gillespie armed with the full resources of Tri-Star Gym and the wizard-like mind of coach Firas Zahabi. None of that affected "Do Bronx," who finished Lee with a nasty guillotine. However, his recent win over Ferguson might just be his best, as he earned a complete shutout on the scorecards, and came close to submitting "El Cucuy" in the first round.

Charles Oliveira has transformed from a gatekeeper to a prestigious contender among the lightweights jostling for a title shot, or a superfight with Conor McGregor. His submission skills are a danger for anyone in the division, and his nasty striking illustrates shades of world-class kickboxing and Muay Thai. We had to wait for him to find his mojo, but the real Charles Oliveira has arrived.

Big fights sit on the horizon for the Brazilian, and glory lies at his fingertips. The division is heating up nicely, with Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier, and Dan Hooker vs. former Bellator champ Michael Chandler both ready to inject even more life into the UFC's busiest weight class. Those results will move a piece on the lightweight chess board, and Charles’s next move will be called upon soon. One potential opponent could be Justin Gaethje, who also impressed against Ferguson before losing out to Khabib Nurmagomedov in his title tilt. Whether it's Gaethje, or another of the UFC's various world-class 155ers, Oliveira has never been in a better place to showcase his abilities. Who knows, they could take him all the way to the title.