UFC 326: Charles Oliveira makes case for having best resume in UFC lightweight history
'Do Bronx' is willing to put his accomplishments inside the Octagon up against the other legends of the sport at 155 pounds
When it comes down to debating the best lightweights in UFC history, there are no shortage of legendary names to choose from, including everyone from Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev to BJ Penn, Frankie Edgar and Benson Henderson.
But even though he lacks the same amount of title defenses compared to his champion contemporaries, there's just as firm of an argument to be had for 36-year-old Charles Oliveira, who headlines Saturday's UFC 326 card in Las Vegas in a rematch for Max Holloway's ceremonial BMF title.
It's an argument that "Do Bronx," who sat down with CBS Sports on Tuesday, firmly agrees with.
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"Listen, each and everyone of us has their moments and their eras," Oliveira told Shakiel Mahjouri. "You talk about Khabib, who just basically stepped away from the game undefeated. Islam is making history [as a] two-division champion. But when you look at the resume, the names, the wins, the records and what I have been through, I believe that my resume is the best."
Oliveira (36-11, 1 NC), who turned pro in 2008 as a welterweight, spent the first half of his inconsistent UFC run largely competing as a featherweight. But it was a full-time move to 155 pounds in 2017, coinciding with the birth of his first child, that sparked a dramatic career turnaround that resulted in an 11-fight win streak and a UFC lightweight title reign.
Beginning with his 2017 submission win over Will Brooks, Oliveira won 15 of his next 19 fights at lightweight, while setting UFC records along the way for most finishes, submissions and post-fight bonuses won. And should he defeat Holloway in their rematch of a 2015 bout that ended in Round 1 due to a freak injury to Oliveira, the Brazilian legend will move into second place on the UFC's all-time wins list, just two behind 42-year-old lightweight Jim Miller (whom Oliveira previously split a pair of fights against).
Oliveira also believes a win over Holloway could be the biggest of his entire 18-year pro career.
"This is another belt, a BMF belt against Max, which means something huge to my legacy," Oliveira said. "To bring that belt back to Brazil, which is something that has never been done before, so it's something that just adds to my legacy and makes it enlarged."
The argument for Oliveira owning the most accomplished lightweight resume in UFC history is more than just the title wins and records, it's the quality of elite names he has shard the Octagon with.
Oliveira owns 155-pound wins over the likes of Clay Guida, Kevin Lee, Tony Ferguson, Michael Chandler (twice), Dustin Poirier, Justin Gaethje, Beneil Dariush and Mateusz Gamrot, with seven of those nine wins coming by stoppage. Even the lightweight losses on Oliveira's resume are impressive considering they came against Paul Felder, Makhachev, Arman Tsarukyan (by split decision) and Ilia Topuria.
By revamping how historians will remember him due to his dominant and exciting run as a lightweight, Oliveira also turned around a reputation he once had as a featherweight -- whether deserved or not -- for being a quitter.
"People are always going to criticize and say what they want to say," Oliveira said. "I don't think about that but quitting is not an option anymore. I always tell people that, now, Charles Oliveira is always pushing forward, no quitting."
