Charles Oliveira has never been one to shy away from a fight. Known for taking on all challengers, the Brazilian icon has built a reputation as one of MMA’s most fearless competitors. That willingness to face anyone helped him rise to UFC lightweight champion and earn the love of fans across the world.
Just three months ago, Oliveira suffered a brutal knockout loss to Ilia Topuria at UFC 317, a defeat that shattered his bid to reclaim the title. For many fighters, such a loss would mean a long layoff to recover both physically and mentally. For Oliveira, it meant turning right back around and booking another fight, this time at UFC Rio on October 11 against Rafael Fiziev.
It wasn’t the fight Oliveira initially wanted, but according to him, the rest of the division left him no choice. Speaking to Ag Fight, the former champion accused several top lightweights of refusing to face him in Brazil.
“Which of the top guys would come fight me in Brazil? None of them would come here to fight in Brazil,” Oliveira said. “You know what’s going to happen today? When you release this clip, a bunch of them will say ‘I would, I would!’ But in reality, I’m not a guy who goes around playing games. I was offered names and they didn’t want it. So today when you release this, these guys will tweet ‘Coward, I wanted it, he didn’t want it!’ But it’s a lie. My whole life it’s been like this. They poke around, talk shit from the other side. When I say ‘Come on, I’m here,’ they run the other way.”
Oliveira saved some of his sharpest words for Dan Hooker, claiming “The Hangman” had no real intention of stepping into the cage with him despite years of public callouts.
“This guy is just a talker, for a long time,” Oliveira said. “This soap opera has been going on for years. He talks and talks and talks and it never happens. So it’s all talk. That’s the reality. He just talks, a guy who speaks a lot of nonsense on the internet. But when he’s called he doesn’t go.”
The criticism didn’t stop there. Oliveira doubled down on fighters who call him out online but vanish when the UFC offers the contract.
“They offered me names, but those guys didn’t even want the fight. They talk trash from afar, but when I say, ‘Come on, I’m here,’ they back down…Dan Hooker? He talks nonsense online, but when called out, he bails.”
In the end, Rafael Fiziev stepped up when others wouldn’t, giving Oliveira the chance to fight in front of his home crowd. For “Do Bronx,” the matchup might be a step down in the rankings, but it’s still a chance to put on a show in Brazil for friends, family, and fans.
