Former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira has built an extensive highlight reel inside the Octagon.
In 2025, Oliveira sits as one of the top fan favorites in the UFC. ‘Do Bronx’ has achieved the rare feat of stardom in the sport despite not being able to speak English.
A major part of that success has been Oliveira’s finishing tendencies, which have propelled him to the top of many record categories in MMA’s leading promotion.
Oliveira set the UFC stoppage record at UFC 262 when he knocked out Michael Chandler to win the vacant lightweight title. Soon after, Oliveira submitted Dustin Poirier to defend the belt and extend his lead in finishes.
The Brazilian utilized a rare move to force a tap from Poirier, but it wasn’t his first time bringing it out inside the UFC Octagon.
Joe Rogan recalls Charles Oliveira’s standing choke against Efrain Escudero
Oliveira stalled Poirier’s title ambitions at UFC 269 when he locked in a standing rear-naked choke. Interestingly, it was the same submission that first made Joe Rogan take note of the then-future champ.
During an episode of the Joe Rogan Experience, days after Oliveira’s triumph over ‘The Diamond’ in December 2021, the UFC color commentator spoke about the Brazilian fighter’s jiu-jitsu prowess.
Rogan pointed to the other standing rear-naked choke on Oliveira’s record as the moment he first saw potential in the then-undefeated prospect.
“That choke [against Poirier] was so good. And that’s the same way the world found out about him, was Efrain Escudero, who won The Ultimate Fighter. He was a very good fighter himself.
“He fought Oliveira and Oliveira took his back the same way [as against Poirier], standing up, and choked him out.
“That was when we first saw him, and the first time I recognized, I’m like, ‘Man, this kid is talented.’ … His level of jiu-jitsu is a leap higher than most people he’s competing against.”
Escudero won season eight of TUF in 2008 before going on to record wins over the likes of Drew Dober.
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Charles Oliveira could become the UFC’s first-ever two-time lightweight champion
Oliveira remains at the top of his game, and he’ll have another opportunity to make history soon enough.
With Islam Makhachev set to vacate the lightweight crown and move to welterweight, Oliveira will fight Ilia Topuria in the main event of UFC 317.
An upset victory over ‘El Matador’, who is moving up to 155 pounds following a title reign at featherweight, would make ‘Do Bronx’ the first two-time champion in UFC lightweight history.
Oliveira is coming off a dominant win over Chandler in their rematch at UFC 309 in November 2024. He’ll look to deliver a similar performance at International Fight Week to blemish the currently perfect record of Topuria.