Charles Oliveira heard the ‘quitter’ accusations for years.
The former UFC lightweight champion is set to face Michael Chandler for a second time in a five-round co-main event at UFC 309 on November 16, having had his ‘deep water’ mettle questioned for much of his career.
Long before he sat at the top of the 155lbs tree, ‘Do Bronx’ was viewed as the type of fighter who quit whenever the going got tough.
After starting his MMA career 14-0, the Oliveira hype train ground to a halt when he went 2-4 (1) in seven UFC fights while fluctuating between featherweight and lightweight.
The Brazilian’s first defeat in the UFC came against Jim Miller at UFC 124 in 2010. Losses against Donald Cerrone, Cub Swanson, and Frankie Edgar soon followed as Oliveira’s reputation as an entertaining yet fundamentally flawed ‘gatekeeper’ continued to grow.
“He is an interesting case because he was a guy who was kind of known as a guy who fell apart,” UFC color commentator Joe Rogan once said of the 4th degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
However, that all changed for Oliveira after a submission win over Clay Guida in 2018, marking the start of a 11-fight win streak that saw him claim the vacant lightweight strap against Chandler in 2021.
Nevertheless, opponents continued to question the heart of ‘Do Bronx’.
Perennial lightweight contender Justin Gaethje was one of Oliveira’s most vocal detractors, calling him a ‘quitter’ ahead of Oliveira’s successful UFC 269 title defense against Dustin Poirier in 2021.
It was a drum ‘The Highlight’ continued to bang throughout the build up to his own title fight with the Brazilian at UFC 274 a year later.
“All my criticism of Charles is from a kid that we were talking about, that we all watched grow, and now we’re talking about a man with confidence,” Gaethje said.
“It’s a different person, but ultimately the same Charles is still there.
“The same Charles that fought Cub Swanson. The same Charles that fought Donald Cerrone. The same Charles that fought [Anthony] Pettis.
“Choices were made in that by him and the choice to quit was made, and I’m going to give him that choice on Saturday night, I guarantee that. I think that’s true, however, once a coward always a coward.”
“I wasn’t being overly critical, I wasn’t saying he was a bad champion, I was saying that in the times that he’s lost, he didn’t even get knocked out, he quit sometimes.
“The choice to quit is something one makes, and once you make it, you can make it again, because you know that it’s there.
“I don’t believe I’ve ever made that choice. Some people haven’t and I believe some people have… I believe that he has, and that’s all I was saying.
‘I believe, deep down, he knows his way out, and that’s to quit whenever he gets hit too many times too hard.”
Oliveira remained unfazed by Gaethje’s words, words he would come to rue once fight night rolled around.
Oliveira was stripped of the lightweight title before the bout after weighing in at 155.5 pounds, half a pound over the title limit.
Only Gaethje was eligible to win the strap, which he appeared destined to do after scoring two knockdowns against Oliveira in the opening exchanges.
The Oliveira of old might have withered and faded, but the 2022 version weathered the early storm and dropped Gaethje with a picture-perfect punch.
Gaethje ended up on the ground with Oliveira locked on his back before the Brazilian sunk in the fight-ending rear-naked choke.
In the blink of an eye, Oliveria had shed the ‘quitter’ label that had dogged him for much of his career, forcing Gaehthje to eat a giant slice of humble pie.
“Name of the game. Appreciate all the love. Congrats to @CharlesDoBronxs,” Gaethje posted on X.
“He just turned a corner, and then he became the baddest motherf***** in the weight class,” Joe Rogan said off Oliveira’s Cinderalla esque story to the summit of MMA.
“Not just the baddest motherf***** in the weight class, one of the best motherf***** in the sport.”
Oliveira’s win set up a vacant title fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s unbeaten protégé, Islam Makhachev.
The Dagestani won the fight via an arm-triangle choke in Round Two.
Oliveira bounced back with a TKO victory against Beneil Dariush at UFC 289 in 2023 before a close split decision loss to Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 300 earlier this year.
Now, the No.2 ranked UFC lightweight is set for the rematch with Chandler, live on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Another victory over ‘Iron’ would cement Oliveira’s status as one of the most dangerous 155lb fighters on the planet.
It would also put him on a path towards a second crack at the belt and current champion and pound-for-pound king Makhachev.
