History of Charles Oliveira in Timeline
Charles Oliveira is a Brazilian mixed martial artist, a fourth-degree black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and the former UFC Lightweight Champion. He currently competes in the Lightweight division of the UFC. As of April 2024, he is ranked #2 in the UFC lightweight rankings and as of February 2025, he is ranked #14 in the UFC men's pound-for-pound rankings. Known for his prolific finishing ability, Oliveira holds the UFC record for the most submission wins.
October 1989: Early Life and Health Challenges
In October 1989, Charles Oliveira was born in a favela in Guarujá, São Paulo, Brazil. At age 7, he was diagnosed with heart murmur and rheumatic fever, initially preventing him from playing sports.
October 17, 1989: Charles Oliveira's Birth
On October 17, 1989, Charles Oliveira da Silva was born. He is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and fourth degree black belt Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner.
2004: São Paulo Championship Win
In 2004, Oliveira won the São Paulo championship for the first time.
2005: Copa Nação Jiu-Jitsu Win
In 2005, Oliveira won the Copa Nação Jiu-Jitsu.
2007: Transition to MMA
In 2007, Charles Oliveira transitioned to MMA after achieving multiple championship titles in Brazilian jiu-jitsu during his youth.
2007: Professional MMA Career Begins
In 2007, Oliveira began his professional MMA career in Brazil, achieving a record of 12–0 with multiple wins on the same night on three separate occasions.
2007: CBJJE World Champion
In 2007, as a blue belt, Oliveira became a two-time CBJJE World Champion.
March 2008: Predator FC 9 Tournament Win
In March 2008, Oliveira made his professional debut at Predator FC 9, winning the Welterweight Grand Prix by defeating Jackson Pontes, Viscardi Andrade and Diego Braga.
December 2008: Lightweight Debut and Tournament Entry
In December 2008, Oliveira debuted at lightweight defeating Mehdi Baghdad and also entered into another tournament at "Korea Fight", where he defeated Daniel Fernandes and Eliene Silva
2008: Silver and South American Champion
In 2008, Oliveira won silver as a purple belt and became the 2008 CBJJE South American Champion.
January 2010: Ranked as a Top Prospect
In January 2010, Oliveira was recognized by Sherdog as the third-best Brazilian prospect to watch that year.
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 suffered his first career loss against Jim Miller via kneebar submission.
2010: Black Belt Awarded
In 2010, Charles Oliveira was awarded his black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Ericson Cardoso and Jorge "Macaco" Patino.
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 due to an illegal knee, but both fighters earned Fight of the Night honors.
August 14, 2011: Loss to Donald Cerrone
On August 14, 2011, at UFC on Versus 5, Oliveira lost to Donald Cerrone via TKO. His trainer stated that after going 0–2–1 NC in his last 3 fights he planned to drop down to the featherweight division.
November 19, 2011: Expected Bout against Joe Lauzon
On November 19, 2011, Oliveira was expected to face Joe Lauzon at UFC 138.
January 20, 2012: Originally Meant to Face Robert Peralta
On January 20, 2012, Oliveira was originally meant to face Robert Peralta at UFC on FX: Guillard vs. Miller.
January 28, 2012: Victory Over Eric Wisely
On January 28, 2012, at UFC on Fox: Evans vs. Davis, Oliveira defeated Eric Wisely via reverse calf slicer submission, earning him the Submission of the Night award.
June 1, 2012: Victory 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, though both fighters earned Fight of the Night honors.
October 19, 2013: Expected Fight against Estevan Payan
On October 19, 2013, Oliveira was expected to face Estevan Payan at UFC 166, but Payan was forced out due to injury.
February 15, 2014: Victory 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: Victory Over Hatsu Hioki
On June 28, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 43, Oliveira defeated Hatsu Hioki via submission, earning a Performance of the Night award.
September 5, 2014: Pulled from Nik Lentz Rematch
On September 5, 2014, Oliveira was pulled from his scheduled rematch against Nik Lentz at UFC Fight Night 50 after falling ill from weight cutting issues.
December 12, 2014: Victory Over Jeremy Stephens
On December 12, 2014, at The Ultimate Fighter 20 Finale, Oliveira defeated Jeremy Stephens via unanimous decision.
May 30, 2015: Victory Over Nik Lentz in Rematch
On May 30, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 67, Oliveira defeated Nik Lentz via guillotine choke submission, earning a Performance of the Night and 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 due to a neck/shoulder injury.
December 19, 2015: Victory Over Myles Jury
On December 19, 2015, at UFC on Fox 17, Oliveira defeated Myles Jury via submission in a catchweight bout after missing weight.
August 27, 2016: Loss to Anthony Pettis
On August 27, 2016, at UFC on Fox 21, Oliveira lost to Anthony Pettis via guillotine choke submission.
November 5, 2016: Loss to Ricardo Lamas
On November 5, 2016, at The Ultimate Fighter Latin America 3 Finale, Oliveira lost to Ricardo Lamas via submission in a catchweight bout after missing weight.
April 8, 2017: Victory Over Will Brooks
On April 8, 2017, at UFC 210, Oliveira defeated Will Brooks via rear-naked choke submission, 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 due to elbows.
September 22, 2018: Victory 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 and earning a Performance of the Night award.
December 15, 2018: Victory Over Jim Miller in Rematch
On December 15, 2018, at UFC on Fox 31, Oliveira defeated Jim Miller via rear-naked choke submission, earning his seventh Performance of the Night award and extending his record for most submissions in UFC history.
2018: Joined Chute Boxe Diego Lima
In 2018, Charles Oliveira joined Chute Boxe Diego Lima in São Paulo to improve his striking game while retaining Jorge "Macaco" Patino as his BJJ coach.
February 2, 2019: Victory Over David Teymur
On February 2, 2019, at UFC Fight Night 144, Oliveira defeated David Teymur via anaconda choke, extending his UFC record for most submission wins and earning a Performance of the Night award.
May 18, 2019: Victory Over Nik Lentz in Trilogy Fight
On May 18, 2019, at UFC Fight Night 152, Oliveira defeated Nik Lentz via TKO in their trilogy fight.
November 16, 2019: Victory Over Jared Gordon
On November 16, 2019, at UFC Fight Night 164, Oliveira defeated Jared Gordon by knockout, earning the Performance of the Night award.
January 2020: SFT 20 Grappling Superfight Win
In January 2020, Oliveira won a grappling superfight at the MMA event SFT 20 against Lucas Barros by decision under IBJJF rules, fighting with a jiu-jitsu gi in a cage.
March 14, 2020: Oliveira defeats Kevin Lee at UFC Fight Night 170
On March 14, 2020, Charles Oliveira defeated Kevin Lee via submission at UFC Fight Night 170, earning him the Performance of the Night award. Lee missed weight, and the fight proceeded at a catchweight. Oliveira also extended his UFC record for most submission wins.
October 4, 2020: Oliveira pulls out of fight against Dariush
On October 4, 2020, Oliveira was scheduled to fight Beneil Dariush at UFC on ESPN: Holm vs. Aldana, but he withdrew from the fight in early September due to undisclosed reasons.
December 12, 2020: Oliveira defeats Tony Ferguson at UFC 256
On December 12, 2020, Oliveira defeated Tony Ferguson via unanimous decision at UFC 256.
May 15, 2021: Oliveira wins UFC Lightweight Championship
On May 15, 2021, Charles Oliveira defeated Michael Chandler at UFC 262 to win the vacant UFC Lightweight Championship, earning the Performance of the Night bonus award. He also broke the record for most finishes in UFC history.
December 11, 2021: Oliveira defends UFC Lightweight title against Poirier
On December 11, 2021, Oliveira defended his UFC Lightweight title against Dustin Poirier at UFC 269, winning by submission. He earned his twelfth Performance of the Night bonus award, setting a new company record.
October 2022: Oliveira undergoes corrective eye surgery
In October 2022, Charles Oliveira announced that his eyes are "100 percent perfect" after undergoing corrective eye surgery.
October 22, 2022: Oliveira loses UFC Lightweight Championship to Makhachev
On October 22, 2022, at UFC 280, Charles Oliveira lost the UFC Lightweight Championship to Islam Makhachev via submission.
February 2023: Oliveira joins OnlyFans
In February 2023, Charles Oliveira announced that he was joining OnlyFans to provide exclusive content to his fans.
May 6, 2023: Oliveira defeats Dariush at UFC 289
On May 6, 2023, Charles Oliveira defeated Beneil Dariush via technical knockout at UFC 289, earning him his thirteenth Performance of the Night bonus award.
July 2023: Grappling Match Arrangement
In July 2023, Renan Barão announced that he had a grappling match with Oliveira arranged for a future BJJ Stars event.
August 6, 2023: Booked to Compete Against Cristiano Souza
Oliveira was booked to compete against Cristiano Souza in the main event of Gold Talents BJJ 2 on August 6, 2023.
October 21, 2023: Oliveira withdraws from Makhachev Rematch at UFC 294
On October 21, 2023, Oliveira was forced to withdraw from his scheduled rematch against Islam Makhachev at UFC 294 due to injuries and was replaced by Alexander Volkanovski.
April 13, 2024: Oliveira loses to Tsarukyan at UFC 300
On April 13, 2024, at UFC 300, Charles Oliveira lost to Arman Tsarukyan via split decision in a UFC lightweight title eliminator.
April 16, 2024: UFC Lightweight Rankings
As of April 16, 2024, Charles Oliveira is ranked #2 in the UFC lightweight rankings.
November 16, 2024: Oliveira defeats Chandler in Rematch at UFC 309
On November 16, 2024, Charles Oliveira defeated Michael Chandler in a rematch at UFC 309 by unanimous decision, earning another Fight of the Night award.
February 11, 2025: UFC Pound-for-Pound Rankings
As of February 11, 2025, Charles Oliveira is ranked #14 in the UFC men's pound-for-pound rankings.
