There is no more sure thing in the UFC than Charles Oliveira.
If you lust after violence, he’s your guy. You want a fight to the finish? Follow Oliveira.
He’s earned an extra million dollars in bonus money during his 34-bout UFC career after earning 20 fight night bonuses among his 23 victories.
He leads the UFC in wins by submission (16) and wins by finish (20), but also leads in another category you won’t find on ufcstats.com. It’s one of those dubious marks he’s glad no one can easily discover.
He’s as kill-or-be-killed as MMA gets. No fighter in the nearly 32-year history of the UFC has been finished more often than Oliveira.
Oliveira has been submitted four times — by Islam Makhachev (arm triangle); Ricardo Lamas (guillotine choke); Anthony Pettis (guillotine choke) and Jim Miller (kneebar). He’s been finished by strikes four times, by Paul Felder; Max Holloway; Cub Swanson and Donald Cerrone.
Remarkably, for the first time in his career, Oliveira’s gone to a decision in back-to-back fights, and it’s in his last two bouts.
He dropped a split decision to Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 300, then came back and won a decision over Michael Chandler at UFC 309 in a Fight of the Night battle.
It’s a pretty good bet that the decision streak won’t extend to three on Saturday. He meets unbeaten finisher (naturally) Ilia Topuria for the vacant lightweight title in the main event of UFC 317 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Topuria is 16-0 with 14 finishes and is exuding so much confidence that he’s been asking fans if they’d rather he win by KO or submission.
Topuria’s trash talk is nearly as sharp as his skills. He’s not as funny as Conor McGregor once was, but he’s every bit as comfortable in front of a microphone and his words are frequently biting.
But after 46 walks to the cage against the greatest fighters of his generation, the last thing that’s going to negatively impact Oliveira are Topuria’s words.
He’s fought three of the five fighters immediately below him on the fight night bonus list. He’s faced seven men who have held at least an interim UFC championship, and he’s fought three bouts against two men who were once Bellator champions.
Of the 14 fighters other than himself ranked in the UFC’s current pound-for-pound list, he’s faced three (No. 1 Makhachev; No. 11 Holloway; and No. 14 Tsarukyan. No. 3 Topuria on Saturday will be the fourth.
“Maybe he feels like he has to say that to give him confidence,” Oliveira said. “I don’t know. He’s one of those guys who likes to talk. Who knows why? I don’t care, to tell you the truth.
“We’ll find each other. I know that. It’s how we fight. And I am confident I know how [to handle myself].”
He’s been on both ends of it, and has never lost that lust for violence. He’s a race car driver with the pedal to the floor the entire race.
It’s a high-risk, high-reward style that’s ultimately worked in his favor. There are a few losses he could have been, with more experience or more wisdom at the time, but those are what make Charles, Charles.
Topuria is good; and may turn out to be all-time good. On Saturday, he’ll have the chance to prove himself against one of the most dangerous, unpredictable and relentlessly violent fighters this sport has ever seen.
He’s not perfect, and never has been. But when the lights flash and the Octagon door locks, there are few safer bets than this: Charles Oliveira will finish, or be finished.
And he’ll do it with everything he has in him.
It’s why we love him. And it’s why we love this brutally violent, wildly unpredictable sport.