Charles Oliveira. Craig Kidwell-USA TODAY Sports

Charles Oliveira approaching Islam Makhachev rematch with humility

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated Aug 31, 2023 8:12 PM ET

There’s only one blemish on former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira’s record since 2018 — a second-round submission loss to Islam Makhachev (24-1) in October 2022.

Not only did Oliveira lose his 155-pound belt after two successful title defenses, he also lost a bit of himself along the way. Oliveira (34-9-1) admitted he regrets engaging in trash talk with Makhachev leading up to their first fight and that he won’t be straying from his traditional respectful demeanor during their rematch.

“That’s the only fight I talked crap — the fight against Islam,” Oliveira said during a recent interview on the “Trocação Franca” podcast. “I made a mistake. I won’t make that mistake again. We can only make mistakes once in life. If you watch everything I’ve said for all my fights, the only one where I’ve [talked smack] a little bit and said some things, talked some crap, was the one against Islam.”

Oliveira and Makhachev are scheduled to headline UFC 294 on Oct. 21 in Abu Dhabi, almost one year to the day from their first bout.

ISLAM MAKHACHEV SUBMITS CHARLES OLIVEIRA #UFC280 pic.twitter.com/C7l2vL5HJy
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 22, 2022

The submission loss was Oliveira’s first since November 2016 against Ricardo Lamas, and it’s just the fourth time anyone has submitted the third-degree Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt. In fact, it’s usually Oliveira who’s the one submitting his opponents. Twenty-one of his 34 MMA wins have come via submission.

Oliveira certainly has his work cut out for him. Makhachev has lost just once during his pro career — a first-round knockout to Adriano Martins in his second UFC fight in October 2015. Since then, the 31-year-old Russian has been on a tear, winning 12 straight fights with victories over three fighters ranked in the division's top 15 plus Alexander Volkanovski, the UFC featherweight champion and No. 2-ranked pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC.

“A lot of people say I need to work on my mental game to be able to fight and win [against Makhachev],” Oliveira added. “Many people are saying I’m not ready for this fight. Islam is very tough, deserves all respect in the world, he’s evolving immensely, but I have a dream. I want to become champion again. I want to continue making history.”

Michael Gallagher

Michael Gallagher is a longtime sports journalist based out of Nashville with a decade of experience covering college football, mixed martial arts and prep sports plus the NFL and NHL — specifically the Tennessee Titans and Nashville Predators. He’s covered several notable sporting events including an AFC Championship game, a Stanley Cup Final, an NHL All-Star Game and an NHL Stadium Series. Some of his past bylines can be found at the Nashville Scene, SB Nation, The Hockey News and Fox Sports Knoxville

More must-reads: