Charles Oliveira has confirmed his UFC return but some fans have concerns.
On June 28, UFC 317 ended with Ilia Topuria knocking out Charles Oliveira to remain undefeated and claim the vacant lightweight title.
‘Do Bronx’ has had a lot of success with his aggressive striking style but on this occasion, it led to him leaving himself open for the devastating power of ‘El Matador’.
The likes of Gilbert Burns advised Oliveira to take the rest of the year off before coming back in a rematch with Max Holloway, which the fans seemed to be behind.
As has now been confirmed, the former lightweight champion had other plans, which he’s recently revealed the motivation behind.
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Charles Oliveira calls for support from the fans as he prepares to fight in Brazil for the first time since 2020
Charles Oliveira and the UFC made it official following some initial reports that he will be returning to headline UFC Rio on October 11.
Oliveira will be taking on the #10-ranked lightweight Rafael Fiziev in a matchup that a lot of fans didn’t see coming, even if their styles should make for an entertaining main event.
While he could’ve held out for a fight against the likes of Max Holloway or Dan Hooker, which would’ve been bigger for him after just competing for the title, clearly there was one priority for the Brazilian.
At 35 years old, who knows how much longer he will be competing for and that means he couldn’t look past the opportunity to put on a show in his home country.
In a video posted on social media, Oliveira spoke about his decision to take this fight and called for support from the fans as he prepares to compete in Brazil for the first time in over five years.
“So guys, I’m very happy about all this. I am counting on the positive energy of all of you. Let’s be together there, right? In this positive mood so that everything works out. I’m so happy.
“Some will say one thing, others will say another. But it’s been a long, long time since I fought in Brazil and being able to fight again in Brazil is very important to me. To carry our flag in a gigantic manner. I am counting on the positive energy of all of you.”
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Fans are concerned for Charles Oliveira after he books his return several months on from UFC 317
Unfortunately for Charles Oliveira, while he is calling for positive energy from his fans, many of the reactions to the news were quite the opposite.
‘Do Bronx’ was clearly aware of the fact that people would have questions and concerns, which he mentioned in his announcement video.
Fans were both surprised by this fight being his return and it was only happening several months after he was finished in devastating fashion.
‘Retirement time for Oliveira. RIP.’
‘Why would Charles even take this fight?’
‘This is sick for a fight night but sad for Charles.’
‘Here we gooooo. Just worried Charles didn’t take enough time to recover.’
‘That’s too soon man.’
‘Charles, we saw [Alexander] Volkanovski do this, this never ends well… Come on man.’