Charles Oliveira Record: 37-11-0

The lightweight surge

After returning to lightweight, Oliveira found his form and ran off one of the longest win streaks in division history. He submitted Kevin Lee with a guillotine in 2020 and outpointed the rugged Tony Ferguson that December, stacking finishes over Clay Guida, Jim Miller and David Teymur along the way. The breakthrough came at UFC 262 in May 2021, where he stopped Michael Chandler with a second-round TKO to claim the vacant UFC Lightweight Championship. He then defended in spectacular fashion: a 2021 third-round rear-naked choke of Dustin Poirier at UFC 269, and a 2022 first-round submission of Justin Gaethje at UFC 274.

Title loss and the relentless chase

Oliveira's reign ended in heartbreaking fashion at UFC 280 in October 2022, when Islam Makhachev submitted him with a second-round arm-triangle choke for the vacant belt. Undeterred, "do Bronx" kept fighting his way back: a 2023 first-round knockout of Beneil Dariush, a narrow split-decision loss to Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 300, and a 2024 decision over Michael Chandler in their rematch. A second title shot came at UFC 317 in June 2025, but he was knocked out in the first round by undefeated champion Ilia Topuria. Ever resilient, he answered with a 2025 submission of Mateusz Gamrot and a 2026 decision win over Max Holloway, avenging a much earlier loss.

Fighting style

Oliveira is the rare fighter whose grappling alone makes him an all-time great: 22 of his 37 wins have come by submission, anchoring a finishing rate around 86 percent, and his catalog spans armbars, guillotines, anaconda and D'Arce chokes, triangles and even a calf slicer. What elevated him to champion, though, was a vastly improved striking game — heavy hands, knees and a willingness to trade that produced knockouts of Chandler, Dariush and others. The trade-off is a chin that has betrayed him at the worst moments, with several losses coming by knockout. The result is one of the most thrilling, high-variance fighters of his era.

Career highlights

• UFC Lightweight Champion — stopped Michael Chandler at UFC 262 to win the vacant title, then defended against Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje.
• Submission king — 22 of his 37 wins by submission with an 86 percent finishing rate, regarded as the most prolific submission artist in UFC history.
• From the favela to gold — overcame childhood illness and poverty in Guarujá to become a world champion and one of the most beloved figures in the sport.