It is August 2010 in San Diego. John Jones, at the age of 23, is heading a UFC program for the second time as an overly chubby and heavy-handed prospect, far from today’s decorated and controversial all-timers.
On the undercard is another blue-chipper making his debut for promotion: 20-year-old lightweight Charles Oliveira. Praised as a battling knicker, it is no big surprise when the Brazilian freezes Darren Elkins through the armbar in the biggest fight of his career in 41 seconds.
“It was like a dream come true,” Oliveira, who grew poor and earned a $ 40,000 submission of the night’s bonus for the win, recently recalled via a translator while talking on the phone with The Post did.
With such a debut from a talented young fighter, it is no surprise that Oliveira (30-8, 27 finishes) is fighting for the 155-pound championship vacated by the retirement of Khabib Nurmagomedov. However, what is surprising is how long it took him to reach this stage with Michael Chandler, the only obstacle between them being a headlining fight to leave Toyota Center with a belt on Saturday in Houston. UFC 262 on ESPN + pay-per-view.
To full promise, he showed up that afternoon in Southern California, and again the following month when he tapped the recent “The Ultimate Fighter” season winner, Efrain Escudero, with inexperience and a crowd at the top of the 155-pound Oliveira. Quickly derailed the climb.
Jim Miller and Donald Cerrone had losses just eight months apart, which sent them down to 145 pounds. Once he lifted a bit of rhythm, Oliveira was again drawn into a fight against accomplished veterans Cube Swanson and Frankie Edgar – who ruled as lightweight champions when the young Brazilian arrived in the UFC – who were knockout and decision, respectively. Ended in defeat from.
As he got older and even gained momentum at featherweight, he fought both with scale and tough opponents. Of the 12 bouts scheduled for 145 pounds, he weighed in four times and compiled 7-5 points, with the other three defeats that were a champion (Anthony Pettis), on his way to becoming a champion (Max Holloway). Or was challenged for a championship (Ricardo Lamas).
The last straw at 145 pounds came in November 2016, when Oliveira hit the unacceptable 155-pound scale, essentially a weight class above the llama who won via submission in the second round. This dropped their overall UFC record to a pedestrian 9–7, although a figure that in itself lacked a reference to a high power of schedule.
That blow could be a blessing in disguise as it became necessary to go back to 155 pounds and things began to click. Oliveira edged out Will Brooks – a man who is 2–0 against Chandler (22–5, 17 finishes) – then suffered an eight-fight win over Streak to Paul Felder. The first four wins of Oliveira’s impressive run came from the submission of the great Royce Gracie to the UFC leader for the win all through.
The next two in 2019 were the first pair of (T) KO wins before coming to the UFC nearly 10 years ago, a result that he credits to an awareness that he needs to round out his impressive grappling game with more dangerous striking Was required. Armory.
“I realized that I couldn’t be just a jiu-jitsu fighter. It was important to be a complete athlete,” Oliveira recalls. “So that’s why I turned my team into a chute box in search of this development as a striking athlete.”
The appearance of former interim title challenger Kevin Lee last March and a major decision win over the man who once defeated Lee for that championship in December, Tony Ferguson ultimately inspired him in the first title fight of his career.
Olivera, 31, said, “I knew I needed a fight like this to show that I am ready to fight for the belt.” “The way I showed it was right for me to win.”
Against Chandler, Oliveira would stare at another man, who had a long and difficult road to a possible UFC gold. A former Bellator champion, who once faced a three-fight skid – two of which came against Brooks – opted not to test free agency and leap into the UFC until last September. In his UFC debut in January, Dan Hooker’s first-round knockout, along with top-order Dustin Pourier, was selected for a rubber match with Connor McGregor on a title shot to crown the new champion for Saturday’s matchup.
Olivera knows to be wary of explosive Chandler, 35, in the first round, when the Missouri native achieved 13 of his 17 finishes. Chandler, who also spoke to The Post before their fight, confirmed that his opponent must be prepared for the tornado out of the gate.
“I’m just about to hurry to his face, watch out for big shots, watch out for exchanging blows, get stingy at all positions because I believe my explosiveness, my The sixth sense that I have when it comes to body awareness, my body mechanics, my strength, and my grappling department is going to be a bit much for that, “Chandler, a former NCAA Division I All-American wrestler in Missouri he said.
A few years ago it did not seem possible for Oliveira to be in a position to fight just for the title. At least the outsiders felt the same. To hear him say this, he never wavers in his belief that he can compete for the championship one day.
“I never doubted myself,” Olivera said of the rocky road in Houston on Saturday for his big moment. “I was always a dream boy. I always believed that this moment would come.”
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