Charles Oliveira was a man on a mission at UFC 274.
Oliveira was stripped of his lightweight title when he missed weight by 0.5 pounds for his title fight against Justin Gaethje at Footprint Center in Phoenix in May, which only fueled him.
Oliveira was not eligible to stay champion with a win, but the Brazilian got to work regardless. He met Gaethje right in the middle and walked him down. Oliveira ate some solid leg kicks, but threw hard knees to the body as he continued to pressure.
But Gaethje was able to drop Oliveira with an uppercut and connected with a right hand after which wobbled him. Oliveira tried to lure Gaethje to the ground, but “The Highlight” was wise to it. Despite getting hurt multiple times, Oliveira remained unfazed. He eventually found a home for a big right hand, which dropped Gaethje, and he was able to slice through him on the ground before he submitted him with a rear-naked choke in Round 1.
Oliveira (33-8 MMA, 21-8 UFC) returns to action Oct. 22 when he takes on Islam Makhachev (22-1 MMA, 11-1 UFC) for the vacant lightweight title in the UFC 280 main event at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
Before he faces Makhachev, relive Oliveira’s finish of Gaethje in the video above.
