Charles Oliveira is one of the oldest lions still close to the top of his division, and despite recent fan criticism, he has vowed to roar again in the UFC.
Last week, it was announced by the UFC that Charles Oliveira would return to the Octagon at UFC Rio de Janeiro in October to take on fellow fan favorite, Rafael Fiziev.
The announcement came as quite the shock to fans considering the fact that ‘Do Bronx’ was handed a brutal knockout loss this past June when he fought Ilia Topuria at UFC 317.
Fans aren’t the only ones who are concerned for the Brazilian, though, as UFC legend Daniel Cormier has voiced his concerns, recalling his first ever KO loss.
Oliveira responds to fan criticism with statement
Initially, the plan was for Oliveira to fight Dan Hooker in his return to Brazil, but according to ‘Do Bronx’, Hooker turned the fight down.
But that wasn’t going to stop the 35-year-old from making his return to his home country, especially considering his last fight in Brazil came under extremely unfortunate circumstances.
And just a week after the fight announcement, Oliveira has now issued a response to the UFC fanbase following criticism regarding how quickly he is returning to action.
“I’ve never been knocked out in my life. Everything in life has a first time. Unfortunately, mine arrived; I was knocked out by a tough guy,” Oliveira told Agfight.
“I went home, sad, crying, angry. But now, truly, I’m more than ready… Listen carefully to what I’m going to tell you. A wounded lion is still a lion. And on October 11th, I’ll show you all that my story isn’t over. I’m more than alive, more than ready,” the former champion continued.
Charles Oliveira turned his career around after early criticism
This wouldn’t be the first time the Brazilian has bounced back and turned his career around. When he reigned as the lightweight champion, Oliveira continuously came from behind in fights to show his championship mentality.
And even before that, when he headlined a UFC event for the first time against Max Holloway in 2015, he was labeled a quitter after forfeiting the fight, and somehow turned things around after that.