What is Charles Oliveira’s Submission Record ahead of his clash with Islam Makhachev in Abu Dhabi at UFC 280?
Charles Oliveira is set for an epic showdown with Islam Makhachev at UFC 280. The fight has been hyped up to the heavens and even as Conor McGregor’s potential return to the lightweight division comes closer, this is the fight everyone’s talking about.
Islam Makhachev comes from the Dagestani pedigree that made Khabib Nurmagomedov the legend he is. However, Charles Oliveira might be on a different level entirely when it comes to submissions. Oliveira has submitted 7 of his last 11 opponents in his currently ongoing 11-fight win streak. He has also secured 63% of his wins through submission.
Oliveira also has the highest submission in the UFC at 14. In addition, he has the second-highest fight night bonuses at 16 totaling $800,000. Let’s look at his most recent submissions and what he might bring to the fight for the lightweight crown at Abu Dhabi.
Charles Oliveira’s Last 5 Submissions Ahead of UFC280
Justin Gaethje – Rear Naked Choke
The Justin Gaethje fight was another Master class in submission by ‘do Bronx’. After taking him down with a hard right to the head Oliveira immediately went to the ground and took Gaethje’s back. From here, he went for a rear naked choke and it was all over in a matter of seconds.
Dustin Poirier – Rear Naked Choke
Dustin Poirier is a top contender in the lightweight division with wins over McGregor, Gaethje and many others. So, this was a major fight for Charles in his bid for the title. However, it turned out to be rather easy with Poirier gassing out in the third round and Charles taking him down with a rear naked choke. This secured him the interim lightweight championship belt and made him a force to be reckoned with in the lightweight division.
Kevin Lee – Guillotine
Kevin Lee is a dangerous fighter. Everyone knows that. But Oliveira has a lethal submission game and Lee was all too unmindful of his position with ‘do Bronx’ in their fight. After landing a potentially deadly overhead right in the third round, Lee caught one of Charles’ push kicks and went in for a takedown. However, Oliveira caught him with a guillotine and took him down to the mat. Despite Lee’s explosive power, he could do nothing but tap to Oliveira’s vice.
David Teymur – Anaconda Choke
If you thought Oliveira’s standup game was lacking, you are wrong. He proved his boxing skills against David Teymur in the second round and got him on the fence with significant strikes. As Teymur tried to close off Oliveira’s strikes with an over-the-back push but Oliveira caught him in a guillotine.
The two went down to the mat and for a moment it looked like it could be a rear naked choke. However, ‘do Bronx’ turned it into a side guillotine and made Teymur tap out. This was only the fourth of a long streak of submissions that stands till now.
Jim Miller – Rear Naked Choke
Charles Oliveira was on song against Jim Miller. After negating a low left kick in the first round, he went straight for a takedown and slammed Miller onto the mat. After which he quickly got his back and put in a breathtaking (literally) choke. After a slight struggle, Miller had both of Oliveira’s legs over his waist and a deep choke that made him tap out quick.
What’s Charles Oliveira’s Favorite Submission Hold?
Charles Oliveira is a 3rd-degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Ericson Cardoso and Jorge “Macaco” Patino. So, he has an extensive arsenal of painful submission holds at his disposal. However, the essence of genius is simplicity and Oliveira favors gold standard holds like rear naked chokes and guillotines.
He has used ankle holds and other submissions but most of his opponents fall to these two. So, Islam Makhachev should certainly be on the lookout for these when he faces Oliveira on Oct 22, 2022.
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