People made fun of me, but I decided to breathe - Charles Oliveira offers insight into knockdowns he suffered against Justin Gaethje
Charles Oliveira recently sat down with Demian Maia to analyze his fight against Justin Gaethje at UFC 274.
Top-ranked UFC lightweight Oliveira's journey is a testament to how a switch in mindset can help one overcome obstacles that were insurmountable before.
In his fight against Justin Gaethje at UFC 274, 'do Bronx' had to overcome some initial adversity before submitting his opponent. The Brazilian was knocked down twice in a fight that didn't go past the first round.
The former UFC lightweight champion sat down with welterweight UFC fighter Demian Maia to break down his fight against Gaethje. He detailed that while people made fun of his knockdowns, he was quite comfortable as he pulled guard and recovered in the process. He said:
"One of my worries was his calf kick. So I was dodging my leg all the time because of the calf kick. And he hit me anyway, and I took the first knockdown, an uppercut. I took that knockdown and people joked cause I sat down. "
He added:
"You do what is most comfortable. I felt it, so I'll sit down. Then I took a cross punch, felt it, and sat down again. I said I'm just gonna breathe."
Check out the video of Charles Oliveira with Demian Maia below:
Charles Oliveira breaks down his finish against Justin Gaethje at UFC 274
Charles Oliveira pulled off an impressive comeback against Justin Gaethje at UFC 274, after going through some early adversity. The Brazilian was also stripped of his lightweight title before the fight for missing weight. It's notable that the general scale for the weigh-ins for UFC 274 was later found to be faulty.
MMA fans raved about the Brazilian's performance against Justin Gaethje, while fellow fighters lauded his submission skills.
Describing details of the finish with UFC welterweight Demian Maia, Oliveira said:
"It bothers them that this guy only moves forward and keeps throwing punches. I hit him with the first straight punch. I was going to hit him again but missed. Then I did what we [Oliveira & Demian Maia] do best. We have so many options, we can do it in our head. I tried the triangle choke, but he was escaping. So I threw the arm for him to give me his back. When I get in position, I squeeze, release, and keep squeezing really fast."
'Do Bronx' is all set to face Islam Makhachev for the vacant UFC lightweight championship at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi.