Age, Biography, and Wiki
Charles Oliveira, born on October 17, 1989, is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who has been active in the UFC since 2010. His career has seen numerous highs, including becoming the UFC Lightweight Champion. Oliveira's biography is marked by his dedication to MMA and his journey from humble beginnings to becoming one of the sport's top athletes.
Occupation | Martial Artist |
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Date of Birth | 17 October 1989 |
Age | 35 Years |
Birth Place | Guarujá, São Paulo, Brazil |
Horoscope | Libra |
Country | Brazil |
Height, Weight & Measurements
Oliveira competes in the lightweight division, typically weighing around 155 pounds. His height is approximately 5 feet 10 inches (178 cm), which allows him to have a strong reach and leverage in his fights.
Oliveira was originally meant to face Robert Peralta on January 20, 2012, at UFC on FX: Guillard vs. Miller, but instead faced promotional newcomer Eric Wisely in a featherweight fight on January 28, 2012, at UFC on Fox: Evans vs. Davis. Oliveira won the fight via reverse calf slicer submission in the first round, marking the first time the technique had been used to finish an opponent in UFC history. This fight earned him another Submission of the Night award.
Oliveira was expected to face Estevan Payan on October 19, 2013, at UFC 166. However, Payan was forced out of the bout citing a broken foot and was replaced by Jeremy Larsen. Subsequently, on October 5, Oliveira pulled out of the Larsen bout citing a strained thigh muscle.
Oliveira was expected to face Nik Lentz in a rematch on September 5, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 50. At the event weigh-in, Oliveira came in over the 146-pound featherweight limit at 150 pounds. Subsequently, he was initially forced to surrender 20 percent of his purse to his opponent Nik Lentz and the bout was changed to a catchweight affair. In turn, Oliveira was pulled from the event entirely on the day of the event after he fell ill from the effects of the weight cutting process.
Oliveira faced Max Holloway on August 23, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 74. He lost the fight via TKO in the first round, after suffering an apparent neck/shoulder injury while attempting a takedown, and was rendered unable to continue. The injury was later described as a micro-tear in his esophagus, although Oliveira was released from a Saskatoon hospital the next day, and tested negative for major chest, neck and/or throat injuries. He later confirmed that he suffered a minor neck injury, related to a previous injury from his training camp. He did not require surgery.
Oliveira faced Myles Jury on December 19, 2015, at UFC on Fox 17. In the lead up to the fight Oliveira missed weight – his third time in his UFC career – for the bout and it was subsequently contested at a catchweight. Oliveira won the fight via submission in the first round.
Oliveira faced Ricardo Lamas on November 5, 2016, at The Ultimate Fighter Latin America 3 Finale. The bout was contested at a catchweight of 155 lbs, as Oliveira missed weight by nearly 10 lbs. Lamas won the fight via submission in the second round.
Oliveira was set to make his second title defense against another former UFC Interim Lightweight Champion, Justin Gaethje, on May 7, at UFC 274. At the weigh-ins, Oliveira weighed in at 155.5 pounds, half a pound over the divisional title limit. As a result, upon commencement of the fight, Oliveira was officially stripped of the championship, and only Gaethje was eligible to win the title. This was the first time in UFC history that a title was vacated due to a weight miss. After being knocked down, Oliveira dropped Gaethje with a right hand and rallied to win the fight via rear-naked choke submission in the first round, and was declared the number one contender to the UFC Lightweight Championship. The win also earned him the third place Crypto.com "Fan Bonus of the Night" award.
The decision to strip Oliveira of the championship proved controversial in what was dubbed "scale gate", as other fighters on the UFC 274 card alleged issues with the scales. Marc Ratner, Vice President of Regulatory Affairs at the UFC, stated that the other fighters were referring to the UFC's practice scale put out the night before, not the one used by the Arizona State Athletic Commission for the official weigh-in; "Some fighters wanted to change the scale from pounds to kilograms, which you can do, and I think that may have knocked it – we don't have any proof of anything, but it may have knocked the [practice] scale out of calibration." The night before, Oliveira had stated that he was on weight using the practice scale. As a result of the allegations, UFC president Dana White stated that the UFC would hire a security guard to watch the practice scale going forward. Ariel Helwani and Dustin Poirier questioned why state athletic commissions still use balance or beam scales, which allow human error, for official weights and not more accurate digital scales. Daniel Cormier, Junior dos Santos, and Glover Teixeira criticized stripping a champion over half a pound, an amount that is acceptable for non-title fights, as excessive. In addition to citing previous UFC matches that were allowed to go ahead as championship title fights despite questionable weigh-ins, Helwani noted how state athletic commissions have no say in what happens to a championship belt and that it was entirely the UFC's decision to strip Oliveira of the title.
Oliveira faced Islam Makhachev for the vacant UFC Lightweight Championship at UFC 280 on October 22, 2022. Oliveira lost the fight via arm-triangle choke submission in the second round.
Height | 5 ft 10 in |
Weight | 155 lb |
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Dating & Relationship Status
Charles Oliveira is married, and his personal life is often kept private. However, he is known to be devoted to his family and uses his platform to support local causes in Brazil.
At age 7, he was diagnosed with heart murmur and rheumatic fever, and told by a doctor that he couldn't play sports. His parents decided instead to let him play sports and his condition healed over time. At 12 years old, Paulo, a neighbor, introduced him to a Brazilian jiu-jitsu gym where trainer Roger Coelho gave free classes to low-income people. His family helped fund his training by selling street snacks and discarded cardboard. Oliveira trained hard and became São Paulo champion only two months after starting jiu-jitsu.
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Net Worth and Salary
As of 2024, Oliveira's net worth is estimated to range between $2.5 million and $5.5 million, depending on the source. His primary source of income comes from his UFC fights, where he has earned significant purses, including over $1.7 million for his fight against Islam Makhachev at UFC 280. Additionally, he earns from various endorsement deals with brands like Venum, Monster Energy, and Reebok.
Oliveira faced Andy Ogle on February 15, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 36. He won the fight via triangle choke submission in the third round. The win also earned him one of the first UFC Performance of the Night bonus awards.
Oliveira finally faced Nik Lentz in a rematch on May 30, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 67. Following a back and forth first two rounds, Oliveria won the fight via guillotine choke submission in the third round. The win earned Oliveria his third Performance of the Night bonus and his third Fight of the Night bonus.
Oliveira faced Will Brooks in a lightweight bout on April 8, 2017, at UFC 210. He won the fight by rear-naked choke submission in the first round. He was awarded a Performance of the Night bonus.
Oliveira faced Clay Guida at UFC 225, replacing an injured Bobby Green. He won the fight via guillotine choke submission in the first round. The win earned him his fifth Performance of the Night bonus.
Oliveira faced former three–time Bellator Lightweight Champion Michael Chandler for the vacant UFC Lightweight Championship, following previous champion Khabib Nurmagomedov's retirement, while headlining UFC 262 on May 15, 2021. Despite being dropped by Chandler in the first round, Oliveira won the fight via technical knockout early in the second round to claim the title. With the knockout win, he broke yet another record, recording the most finishes in UFC history. This win also earned Oliveira the Performance of the Night bonus award.
Oliveira made his first title defense against former UFC Interim Lightweight champion Dustin Poirier on December 11, 2021, at UFC 269. After being knocked down in the first round, Oliveira won the fight by submitting Poirier with a standing rear-naked choke in the first minute of the third round. The win also earned Oliveira his twelfth Performance of the Night bonus award, a new record for the company.
Oliveira was scheduled to face Beneil Dariush on May 6, 2023, at UFC 288. However, Oliveira was forced out of the event due to injury and the bout was cancelled and postponed to UFC 289. He won the bout via technical knockout in the first round, finishing Dariush with ground and pound. The win also earned Oliveira his thirteenth Performance of the Night bonus award.
Career, Business, and Investments
Oliveira's career in the UFC has been highly successful, with over 30 fights under his belt. He achieved his biggest payday at UFC 280 despite losing the fight, showcasing his continued earning potential even without being the champion. Outside of fighting, Oliveira is involved with the CB Institute, a non-profit organization that provides free MMA and BJJ training to underprivileged children in Brazil.
By 2007 he started to steer his career to focus on MMA. He was awarded his black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Ericson Cardoso and Jorge "Macaco" Patino in 2010.
Oliveira began his career in 2007 in his home country of Brazil, compiling a record of 12–0, with six knockouts and five submissions. On three separate occasions, Oliveira has compiled multiple wins on the same night.
In March 2008, Oliveira made his professional debut at the Predador Fight Championship promotion, where his master Jorge Patino had previously participated at Predator FC 6. The event was the "Predator FC 9 – Welterweight Grand Prix", a one-night single-elimination tournament similar to the "Grand Prix" events held by Pride FC, where the competitors would have to fight three times to be crowned the champion. In the first round, Oliveira defeated Jackson Pontes via submission (rear-naked choke), which advanced him to the second stage of the tournament. Oliveira's second stage fight was against Viscardi Andrade. In the second round, Oliveira won via TKO (punches) and advanced to the final round of the tournament. Oliveira won the tournament by defeating Diego Braga via TKO (punches) in the first round of the fight.
Oliveira debuted at lightweight by defeating future UFC fighter Mehdi Baghdad in December 2008 at the first event of promotion "Kawai Arena". After that he entered into another tournament at "Korea Fight", where he defeated Daniel Fernandes and Eliene Silva via KO and TKO, respectively.
Oliveira faced Jim Miller on December 11, 2010, at UFC 124. Oliveira was quickly submitted via kneebar in the first round; this marked the first loss of his career.
In 2018 joined Chute Boxe Diego Lima in São Paulo. According to him, his former gym Macaco Gold Team (headed by Jorge "Macaco" Patino) was mostly focused BJJ with complementary striking, while he was confident with his groundfighting skills, he felt he needed to improve his striking game. Patino is still his BJJ coach but now he is complemented with Chute Boxe's trademark aggressive Muay Thai style.
Social Network
Oliveira maintains a strong presence on social media platforms, where he engages with fans and promotes his brand. His social media following is significant, reflecting his popularity and influence in the MMA community.
Education
Information about Oliveira's formal education is limited. However, his focus on martial arts training and his career in MMA have been his primary educational pursuits.
As Oliveira continues to be a prominent figure in the MMA world, his net worth and career earnings are expected to continue growing, especially with his upcoming fights and endorsement deals.
Charles Oliveira da Silva (born October 17, 1989) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and fourth degree black belt Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner. Oliveira currently competes in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is the former UFC Lightweight Champion. As of April 16, 2024, he is #2 in the UFC lightweight rankings and as of May 13, 2025, he is #15 in the UFC men's pound-for-pound rankings.
On April 26, 2025, it was announced that Oliveira will be a recipient of the 2025 UFC Forrest Griffin Community Award for his institute "ICBronxs" which provides local youth with free education and jiu-jitsu training.