Mixed martial arts is a sport where having a wealth of experience at a young age can be a great advantage if and when you finally make it to the big stage — the UFC. We are seeing more and more athletes enter the Octagon after building up their talent sets by starting competition at an early age. Fighters such as Rory MacDonald and John Hathaway are prime examples of fighters who are surging in their divisions after starting out their careers very young. This weekend we will get to see another fighter who is barely old enough to legally drink, but dangerous enough to defeat most of the men who have stood in front of him: Charles Oliveira.
At 22 years of age, Oliveira is preparing for his seventh fight in the Octagon, against Jonathan Brookins at the Ultimate Fighter 15 Finale. His four-year professional career has seen him fight at welterweight, lightweight, and now featherweight. Since his first appearance in the UFC, back at UFC Live 2 in 2010, Oliveira has gone 3-2, with 1 No Contest. This may not look impressive at first, but his two losses came at lightweight, against two major contenders in the division, in Jim Miller and Donald Cerrone. When he lost to Miller, he was riding a 14-fight win streak. After his defeat to the “Cowboy,” he moved down to the featherweight division, where in his debut he became the first UFC fighter to finish a fight with a calf slicer submission.
The young Brazilian fighter brings a very interesting skill set to the Octagon each and every time he steps into the cage to compete. Standing 5’10, not many other fighters in the weight class are taller than him, and “Do Bronx” does a fantastic job of using that range to force a fight style he desires. In each of his victories and even the no contest fight against Nik Lentz, we saw Charles stay very active on the feet, consistently moving, changing directions and striking from various angles. While he doesn’t always throw every punch with power, he does know how to stop opponents with strikes, as five of his victories have come by way of strikes.
When the fight hits the ground, he is even more effective, with 8 submission victories on his ledger. The most noteworthy aspect of his submission acumen is that he has an ability to set submissions up from a variety of positions. His Brazilian Jiu Jitsu skills have earned him “Submission of the Night” honors three times, and you can expect him to add a few more, at this rate.
Oliveira will be going into this bout against Brookins as the favorite, due to holding advantages over his opponent in a couple of different areas. Both his striking and ground work are more fluid than the abilities that Brookins has displayed. And while Jonathan will have the advantage when it comes to scoring takedowns, one must wonder if that truly is an advantage when the individual you are facing is ready, willing, and able to submit you from his back. Too be fair, Brookins also has eight submission wins on his resume, but those have come against fighters whose grappling abilities are not anywhere near the level that Oliveira brings to the bout.
As many of the “older” veterans of mixed martial arts begin to transition away from competition, the young guard is poised to take their places. Charles “Do Bronx” Oliveira is one such young lion, and is ready to make a run in the featherweight division.
