Former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira possesses an incredible and tumultuous career inside the Octagon. He began his first 20 fights in the promotion 12-7-1 and quickly established himself as a hard-fighting veteran with a penchant for finishes. However, the world quickly caught on to his star power as Oliveira reeled off finish after finish en route to a title victory against Michael Chandler by way of an impressive comeback finish in the second round.
Now, Oliveira takes on rising lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan on the biggest card in MMA history. The winner gains a chance for revenge against Islam Makhachev in the form of a title shot at 155 pounds. Although Oliveria is under a lot of pressure in this fight he is no stranger to bright lights himself, competing 32 times in the Octagon, eighth-most in the promotion at only 34 years of age.
Charles Oliveira Looking to Return to the Top
Charles Oliveira began his surge to the pinnacle of the sport after eighteen fights in the UFC, and his loss to Paul Felder by way of TKO was his last for a long time. Oliveira kicked off his eleven-fight winning streak with a win over Clay Guida, and finished an eye-popping seven fights in a row. Six of those wins earned him an additional fifty thousand dollars, and this run helped Oliveira eventually become the most prolific submission artist in the UFC with 16 wins by choke or tap and 20 by finish.
His opponent, Arman Tsarukyan, is 13-2-0 with an 8-2-0 record in the UFC, and his two losses are to the current champion Islam Makhachev and Mateuz Gamrot. The freestyle wrestler from Armenia won three in a row against Damir Ismagulov, Joaqim Silva, and Beneil Dariush. He only has one ranked win to his name over Dariush, and yet is currently ranked fourth in the UFC.
Oliveira has a History of Resemblance
Oliveira never backs down from a fight and can turn even the worst positions into a win. Looking back to the Michael Chandler fight, Chandler had Oliveira rocked in the first round after hitting him as he shot for a takedown. Chandler rained down heavy shots from stacked guard and came close to finishing the fight.
However, Oliveira survived and dropped Chandler with an expert combination in the second. He threw a right hook which Chandler ducked and immediately followed up with a check left uppercut, almost as if the right hook was designed to miss. Oliveira floored Chandler and finished the fight with a huge right, knocking Chandler down a second time.
When the dust settled, Oliveira went from boy in the favelas to world champion in the highest level of the sport. His story of triumph over poverty and illness in childhood remains one of the greatest success stories in the history of sports, and he can add to it this Saturday.
Keys to Success for Charles Oliveira
The freestyle wrestling style of Tsarukyan favored amongst Eastern Europeans involves high-pressure wrestling and a lot of takedowns. However, Oliveira remains at home on the mat. He has some of the best jiujitsu in the entire promotion and is deadly in defensive positions that would compromise other fighters.
All this said, Charles Oliveira is one of the toughest fighters in the entire UFC, and he has to remember that to succeed this weekend. Tsarukyan’s style means that he will be in compromising positions, but he has to lean on his scrambling to set himself up for a good result.
Isolate Limbs
Isolating the limbs is an important tenet of maintaining control in jiu-jitsu and allows Oliveira to chase armbars or leg locks if the opportunity presents itself. It also prevents the forward movement of Tsarukyan into advantageous positions, as freestyle wrestling involves unorthodox scrambles defended differently than Greco-Roman wrestling or combat sambo.
Bottom Game
Oliveira’s body triangle is also important for success in this situation, since it limits Tsarukyan’s ability to turn into a choke to escape it or transition from back mount to dominant half guard. It also allows Oliveira to relax and work for a submission.
Tsarukyan’s submission defense has yet to be tested in the UFC, and Oliveira can exploit it if he goes to the ground early and often with Tsarukyan. Oliveira has the requisite skills to give Tsarukyan problems on the ground, so Tsarukyan may not want to take it to the mat.
This fight takes on a completely different shape on the feet. Tsarukyan is similar to Oliveira offensively, as they are both grappling-first fighters who can finish fights on the feet. The winner of this fight is going to be the one who fights technical and smart, and does not make mistakes defensively.
The winner of this fight likely gets the coveted number-one contender spot in the lightweight division. It is sure to be a fantastic fight. Do not miss this one- both men are ready to make history.
Featured image credits Embed from Getty Images
