After losing his UFC lightweight championship to Islam Makhachev, Charles Oliveira is vowing not to repeat the emotional mistakes he made during his last fight as he is set to rematch Makhachev, with confidence to reclaim the title and continue to inspire the children from the favelas.
Charles Oliveira, a former favela resident who turned into a Brazilian superstar, seized the UFC lightweight championship in 2021. However, his reign was briefly interrupted during his bout with Islam Makhachev in October 2022. Oliveira was highly emotional ahead of that fight. As UFC 294 approaches, he pledges not to repeat the same mistake. “That’s the only fight I talked crap, the fight against Islam,” Oliveira confessed, expressing regret and asserting he wouldn’t make the same mistake.
Oliveira noted he didn’t perform to his usual standards during his fight with Makhachev. He attributed his underperformance to stepping out of his routine and behaving differently, which he won’t do again. Oliveira is prepared for a rematch against Makhachev at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, the venue of their first bout, scheduled exactly one year from their match in which Oliveira suffered a second-round loss to the Russian.
Asserting his readiness for the rematch, Oliveira plans to reach Abu Dhabi early to adapt to local conditions. He is optimistic about proving his mettle and reclaiming the title. Speaking passionately about his aspirations, he emphasized his dream to become champion again, inspire children from the favela and “to continue making history.” The most significant thing for him now is “to be happy and focused,” he added.
Before his first match with Makhachev, Oliveira was on a winning spree, bagging victories in 11 fights, 10 of which were knockouts. After losing his title to Makhachev, he bounced back, knocking out Beneil Dariush in the first round. Initially, he expressed reservations about facing Makhachev again in October but later revealed his plans to adjust the rematch to the November show in Sao Paulo, Brazil. If he is victorious at UFC 294, he dreams of recreating a legendary moment from UFC 179 in 2014, akin to the hero’s welcome Anderson Silva received in Rio de Janeiro.