Career Timeline of Charles Oliveira: Major Achievements and Milestones

How Charles Oliveira built a successful career. Explore key moments that defined the journey.

Charles Oliveira is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and a highly skilled Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner, holding a fourth-degree black belt. He competes in the UFC's Lightweight division and is a former UFC Lightweight Champion. As of July 1, 2025, he is ranked #3 in the UFC lightweight rankings and #15 in the UFC men's pound-for-pound rankings, highlighting his status as one of the top competitors in the sport.

Sections (4)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Challenges & Struggles

2007: Focus on MMA

By 2007, Charles Oliveira started to focus his career on MMA.

2007: MMA Career Start

In 2007, Charles Oliveira began his MMA career in Brazil, achieving a record of 12–0 with six knockouts and five submissions.

March 2008: Predator FC 9 Tournament Win

In March 2008, Oliveira made his professional debut at Predator FC 9, winning the Welterweight Grand Prix tournament by defeating Jackson Pontes, Viscardi Andrade, and Diego Braga.

December 2008: Lightweight Debut and Tournament Entry

In December 2008, Oliveira debuted at lightweight by defeating Mehdi Baghdad and entered a tournament at Korea Fight, defeating Daniel Fernandes and Eliene Silva.

February 2010: Two Wins in One Night

In February 2010, Oliveira competed twice in one night, defeating Rosenildo Rocha via submission and Diego Bataglia via KO.

December 11, 2010: First Career Loss

On December 11, 2010, at UFC 124, Oliveira faced Jim Miller and was submitted via kneebar in the first round, marking the first loss of his career.

June 26, 2011: No Contest Against Nik Lentz

On June 26, 2011, at UFC Live: Kongo vs. Barry, Oliveira's fight against Nik Lentz ended in a no contest after an illegal knee went unnoticed, but both fighters earned Fight of the Night honors.

August 14, 2011: Loss to Donald Cerrone at UFC on Versus 5

On August 14, 2011, Oliveira faced Donald Cerrone at UFC on Versus 5, losing via TKO in the first round, leading to plans to drop to the featherweight division.

November 19, 2011: UFC 138 fight against Joe Lauzon

On November 19, 2011, Oliveira was originally expected to face Joe Lauzon at UFC 138, but he faced Donald Cerrone instead.

January 20, 2012: UFC on FX: Guillard vs. Miller fight

On January 20, 2012, Oliveira was originally meant to face Robert Peralta at UFC on FX: Guillard vs. Miller.

January 28, 2012: Submission Win Over Eric Wisely

On January 28, 2012, at UFC on Fox: Evans vs. Davis, Oliveira defeated Eric Wisely via reverse calf slicer, earning a Submission of the Night award and marking the first time the technique had been used to finish an opponent in UFC history.

June 1, 2012: Win Over Jonathan Brookins

On June 1, 2012, at The Ultimate Fighter 15 Finale, Oliveira defeated Jonathan Brookins via second-round anaconda choke.

September 22, 2012: Loss to Cub Swanson

On September 22, 2012, at UFC 152, Oliveira lost to Cub Swanson via KO in the first round.

July 6, 2013: Loss to Frankie Edgar

On July 6, 2013, at UFC 162, Oliveira lost to Frankie Edgar via unanimous decision, but both fighters earned Fight of the Night honors.

October 19, 2013: UFC 166 fight

On October 19, 2013, Oliveira was expected to face Estevan Payan at UFC 166, but the fight was cancelled due to injuries.

February 15, 2014: Win Over Andy Ogle

On February 15, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 36, Oliveira defeated Andy Ogle via triangle choke submission, earning a Performance of the Night bonus.

June 28, 2014: Win Over Hatsu Hioki

On June 28, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 43, Oliveira defeated Hatsu Hioki via submission, becoming the first man to finish Hioki and earning a Performance of the Night award.

September 5, 2014: Weight Cutting Issues and Fight Cancellation

On September 5, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 50, Oliveira had weight cutting issues for his rematch with Nik Lentz, initially surrendering part of his purse before being pulled from the event due to illness.

December 12, 2014: Win Over Jeremy Stephens

On December 12, 2014, at The Ultimate Fighter 20 Finale, Oliveira defeated Jeremy Stephens via unanimous decision.

2014: Last win by decision against Jeremy Stephens

In 2014, Charles Oliveira's fight against Jeremy Stephens was his last win by decision until his fight against Tony Ferguson on December 12, 2020.

May 30, 2015: Win over Nik Lentz at UFC Fight Night 67

On May 30, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 67, Oliveira defeated Nik Lentz via guillotine choke submission in the third round, earning his third Performance of the Night bonus and his third Fight of the Night bonus.

August 23, 2015: Loss to Max Holloway

On August 23, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 74, Oliveira lost to Max Holloway via TKO in the first round after suffering a neck/shoulder injury.

December 19, 2015: Win Over Myles Jury Despite Missing Weight

On December 19, 2015, at UFC on Fox 17, Oliveira defeated Myles Jury via submission in the first round, despite missing weight for the bout.

August 27, 2016: Loss to Anthony Pettis

On August 27, 2016, at UFC on Fox 21, Oliveira lost to Anthony Pettis via guillotine choke in the third round.

November 5, 2016: Loss to Ricardo Lamas After Missing Weight

On November 5, 2016, at The Ultimate Fighter Latin America 3 Finale, Oliveira lost to Ricardo Lamas via submission in the second round after missing weight.

April 8, 2017: Submission Win Over Will Brooks

On April 8, 2017, at UFC 210, Oliveira defeated Will Brooks via rear-naked choke submission in the first round, earning a Performance of the Night bonus.

December 2, 2017: Loss to Paul Felder

On December 2, 2017, at UFC 218, Oliveira lost to Paul Felder via TKO in the second round.

September 22, 2018: Submission Win Over Christos Giagos

On September 22, 2018, at UFC Fight Night 137, Oliveira defeated Christos Giagos via submission, surpassing Royce Gracie for the most submission wins in UFC history (11), earning a Performance of the Night award.

December 15, 2018: Submission Win Over Jim Miller

On December 15, 2018, at UFC on Fox 31, Oliveira defeated Jim Miller via rear-naked choke in the first round, earning his seventh Performance of the Night award and extending the record for most submissions in UFC History with 12.

2018: Joined Chute Boxe Diego Lima

In 2018, Charles Oliveira joined Chute Boxe Diego Lima in São Paulo to improve his striking game, while Jorge "Macaco" Patino remained his BJJ coach.

February 2, 2019: Submission Win Over David Teymur

On February 2, 2019, at UFC Fight Night 144, Oliveira defeated David Teymur via anaconda choke, extending the UFC record for most submission wins to thirteen and earning a Performance of the Night award.

May 18, 2019: Wins against Nik Lentz via TKO

On May 18, 2019, Charles Oliveira fought Nik Lentz in a trilogy fight at UFC Fight Night 152, as the first fight of his new contract. Oliveira won the fight via TKO in the second round.

November 16, 2019: Wins against Jared Gordon via Knockout

On November 16, 2019, Charles Oliveira replaced Leonardo Santos and faced Jared Gordon at UFC Fight Night 164. Oliveira won the fight by knockout in the first round and earned the Performance of the Night award.

January 2020: Grappling Superfight Win at SFT 20

In January 2020, Charles Oliveira won a grappling superfight by decision against Lucas Barros at the MMA event SFT 20 under IBJJF rules, competing in a jiu-jitsu gi in a cage.

March 14, 2020: Wins against Kevin Lee via Submission

On March 14, 2020, Charles Oliveira faced Kevin Lee at UFC Fight Night 170. Lee missed weight, and Oliveira won the fight via submission in the third round. Oliveira earned the Performance of the Night award, extended his UFC record for most submission wins to 14, moved to second place in terms of bonuses received with 16, extended his finishing streak to 7, and tied with Donald Cerrone for the most finishes in the UFC.

October 4, 2020: Pulls out of Fight Against Beneil Dariush

On October 4, 2020, Charles Oliveira was scheduled to meet Beneil Dariush at UFC on ESPN: Holm vs. Aldana. However, Oliveira pulled out of the fight in early September for undisclosed reasons.

December 12, 2020: Wins against Tony Ferguson via Unanimous Decision

On December 12, 2020, Charles Oliveira faced Tony Ferguson at UFC 256. Oliveira won the fight via unanimous decision, marking his first win by decision since 2014.

May 15, 2021: Wins UFC Lightweight Championship against Michael Chandler

On May 15, 2021, Charles Oliveira faced Michael Chandler at UFC 262 for the vacant UFC Lightweight Championship. Despite being dropped in the first round, Oliveira won the fight via technical knockout in the second round to claim the title, recording the most finishes in UFC history. He also earned the Performance of the Night bonus award.

December 11, 2021: Wins against Dustin Poirier

On December 11, 2021, Charles Oliveira made his first title defense against Dustin Poirier at UFC 269. After being knocked down in the first round, Oliveira won by submission in the third round. He also earned his twelfth Performance of the Night bonus award, setting a new company record.

October 22, 2022: Loses against Islam Makhachev

On October 22, 2022, Charles Oliveira faced Islam Makhachev for the vacant UFC Lightweight Championship at UFC 280. Oliveira lost the fight via arm-triangle choke submission in the second round.

February 2023: Joins OnlyFans

In February 2023, Charles Oliveira announced that he was joining OnlyFans to provide a subscription-based service to his fans, where they can access his workouts and training regime among other content.

May 6, 2023: Wins against Beneil Dariush

On May 6, 2023, Charles Oliveira was scheduled to face Beneil Dariush at UFC 288, but the bout was postponed to UFC 289 due to injury. He won the bout via technical knockout in the first round, earning his thirteenth Performance of the Night bonus award.

July 2023: Grappling Match Arrangement

In July 2023, it was announced that Renan Barão and Charles Oliveira would have a grappling match arranged for a future BJJ Stars event.

August 6, 2023: Booked to compete against Cristiano Souza

On August 6, 2023, Oliveira was booked to compete against Cristiano Souza in the main event of Gold Talents BJJ 2.

October 21, 2023: Forced off from UFC 294 due to Injuries

On October 21, 2023, Charles Oliveira was booked to challenge Islam Makhachev in a rematch for the lightweight world championship at UFC 294. However, Oliveira was forced off from the event due to injuries and was replaced by Alexander Volkanovski.

April 13, 2024: Loses against Arman Tsarukyan via Split Decision

On April 13, 2024, Charles Oliveira faced Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 300. Despite having two close submission attempts, he lost the bout via split decision in this UFC lightweight title eliminator.

November 16, 2024: Wins against Michael Chandler via Unanimous Decision

On November 16, 2024, Charles Oliveira faced Michael Chandler in a rematch at UFC 309. He won the fight by unanimous decision and earned another Fight of the Night award.

April 26, 2025: Recipient of the 2025 UFC Forrest Griffin Community Award

On April 26, 2025, it was announced that Charles Oliveira will be a recipient of the 2025 UFC Forrest Griffin Community Award for his institute "ICBronxs", which provides local youth with free education and jiu-jitsu training.

June 28, 2025: Loses against Ilia Topuria

On June 28, 2025, Charles Oliveira faced Ilia Topuria for the vacant UFC Lightweight Championship at UFC 317. He lost the fight by knockout in the first round.

July 1, 2025: UFC Rankings

As of July 1, 2025, Charles Oliveira is ranked #3 in the UFC lightweight rankings and #15 in the UFC men's pound-for-pound rankings.

2025: Biopic Announced

In 2025, 405 Films announced it secured the life rights for a biopic based on Charles Oliveira's early years and rise in the UFC. The film will be produced by Eduardo Ferro and shot in Brazil and Las Vegas.

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