Charles Oliveira

Charles Oliveira has two children. His daughter, Tayla, was born in 2017 during his marriage to Talita Roberta Pereira, and his son, Dominic, was born on October 5, 2024, with his girlfriend Vitoria Brum.

Oliveira lives in Guarujá near his former neighborhood of Vicente de Carvalho. He is a devout Christian and has spoken about having corrective eye surgery in 2022 after years of severe nearsightedness that made him see multiple versions of an opponent when fighting without glasses.

Oliveira grew up in the Vicente de Carvalho favela in Guarujá, São Paulo. At age seven, he was diagnosed with rheumatic fever and a heart murmur, and a doctor warned that he should not play sports. His family nevertheless supported his athletic ambitions. At 12, he began Brazilian jiu-jitsu after a neighbor introduced him to trainer Roger Coelho, whose gym offered free classes to low-income students. His family helped pay for his training by selling street snacks and discarded cardboard.

Oliveira began competing in amateur MMA in 2007 and turned professional in 2008. He won the Predador Fight Championship Welterweight Grand Prix in his professional debut year, then joined the UFC in 2010. His UFC debut ended with a 41-second armbar submission of Darren Elkins, earning him Submission of the Night.

After competing at featherweight and lightweight, Oliveira built a long winning run that led to his first UFC title opportunity after 28 fights in the promotion. At UFC 262 in May 2021, he recovered from being dropped by Michael Chandler in the first round and stopped him early in the second to win the vacant UFC Lightweight Championship. He defended the title against Dustin Poirier at UFC 269, submitting him with a standing rear-naked choke in the third round.

Oliveira was stripped of the lightweight title after missing weight by half a pound before his UFC 274 bout with Justin Gaethje. He defeated Gaethje by rear-naked choke in the first round, but only Gaethje had been eligible to win the vacant championship. Oliveira later lost to Islam Makhachev in a vacant-title bout at UFC 280, then returned to stop Beneil Dariush in the first round at UFC 289.

Oliveira won the São Paulo State Championship, the Copa Nação Jiu-Jitsu and multiple CBJJE titles before concentrating on MMA. He became a two-time CBJJE World Champion as a blue belt in 2007, won the CBJJE South American Championship as a purple belt in 2008, and earned his Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt in 2010 under Ericson Cardoso and Jorge "Macaco" Patino.

His UFC career is built around a submission-focused style that combines Brazilian jiu-jitsu with aggressive Muay Thai striking. He holds the UFC records for most submission wins, with 17, most finishes, with 21, and most post-fight bonuses, with 21. His UFC record also includes 22 wins by submission and 10 by knockout.

Oliveira defeated Michael Chandler by unanimous decision in their rematch at UFC 309 in 2024. He then submitted Mateusz Gamrot by face crank at UFC Fight Night 261 in 2025. On March 7, 2026, he defeated Max Holloway by unanimous decision at UFC 326 to win the symbolic UFC BMF title.

Oliveira founded the Instituto Charles do Bronx, also known as ICBronxs, in 2012. The project provides children and teenagers in his community with free Brazilian jiu-jitsu classes, basic education, nutritional support and cultural activities.

In 2025, the institute earned Oliveira the UFC Forrest Griffin Community Award. His nickname, "Do Bronxs," refers to the favela where he grew up. The term was also associated with the gym where he began training, and was used by gym members to call him Charles from the Bronx.