"Something happened to him" - Joe Rogan discusses what "changed everything" for Charles Oliveira that turned him into a "ferocious assassin"

Joe Rogan recently weighed in on the upcoming clash between Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev for the vacant lightweight throne at UFC 280. While previewing the fight on a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, the UFC color commentator elaborated on Oliveira's switch in mindset that propelled his career to new heights.

'Do Bronx' was always recognized as an expert submission specialist, but his career trajectory was turbulent up until 2018. Between 2015 and 2017, the Brazilian was on a downward spiral with just two victories and four losses in as many fights.

Paul Felder vs Charles Olivera via tap to punches https://t.co/YfFoSGQbbs

Since then, Oliveira has been on a rampant 11-fight win streak, with ten of those being finishes. His spectacular finish rate coupled with a confident demeanor has piqued everyone's curiosity.

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He submits Justin Gaethje in the first...but he's now the no. 1️⃣ contender! #UFC274 https://t.co/aTYHqf8Nqa

Joe Rogan shed light on the evident change in Oliveira's approach that has made him the feared fighter he is today:

"Something happened to him and that's a great example of judging a guy by his losses. If you look at his losses to Cub Swanson, if you look at his losses to Paul Felder, you're like, there's no way this guy is the best in the world. Something happened and I think they said that it's the birth of his daughter. When his kid was born, he just changed everything. He just became like this ferocious f**king assassin!"

Rogan added that the path of resurgence that Oliveira has embarked on is truly unique and unheard of:

"There's no one who's been like that. You see one version of them that kind of has a little bit of quit in them and then a version that is unstoppable."

Watch the clip which is an excerpt from the episode below:

Watch the entire episode of The Joe Rogan Experience below:

Joe Rogan lauds Charles Oliveira's submission skills

Charles Oliveira holds the distinction of being the record holder for most submission victories inside the octagon. The third-degree black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu also holds the record for the most finishes. Sixteen of his 19 finishes have come by submission.

In his upcoming main event fight at UFC 280, 'do Bronx' faces another grappling wizard in Islam Makhachev, who's on a ten-fight win streak.

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Previewing the fight alongside Will Harris on The Joe Rogan Experience, the illustrious podcaster heaped praise on Oliveira's grappling abilities:

"If you get a guy like Charles Oliveira who's that good at jiu-jitsu, he could strangle a f**king heavyweight... Oliveira's jiu-jitsu is some of the best I have ever seen in MMA. It is like world championship caliber jiu-jitsu. But he's doing it in an MMA match. He's the one guy where it doesn't matter what happens in the fight, if you go to the ground with him you are in deep s**t."

Watch the episode below: