Laura Sanko narrates astounding story about how Alex Pereira's coach predicted Charles Oliveira's incredible success during training session
Long before he became a UFC champion, Charles Oliveira's future success as an MMA fighter was foreseen by Plinio Cruz, who serves as Alex Pereira's coach. This revelation was made by UFC commentator and ex-mixed martial artist Laura Sanko, who witnessed the moment 'Poatan's' coach praised 'do Bronx'.
This occurred during a training session under Cruz, for which Sanko was present. At one point, Cruz highlighted a then-undersized Oliveira, who was sitting in the corner of the gym. He then claimed that Oliveira would go on to one day capture a world title: a story Sanko narrated on the Verse Us with Eric Nicksick podcast.
"I remember one time when we went out there, and he was like... really broken English, but I won't make fun of how he talked, so I won't imitate him, but he was like, 'You see that kid in the corner there? That kid's gonna be a champion one day.' And I look over and there's this skinny, dorky coke-bottled glasses kid sitting there and I was like, 'Okay. Sure. Looks like it.' Charles Oliveira."
Check out Laura Sanko's comments below (57:33):
It is a jaw-dropping tale, as Oliveira has since become one of the most beloved fighters on the UFC roster. He holds the record for the most finishes and submissions in the promotion's history. Moreover, he fulfilled Cruz's prophecy by capturing the UFC lightweight title at UFC 262.
He went on to defend the belt at UFC 269, submitting the great Dustin Poirier. Unfortunately, a weigh-in mishap ahead of UFC 274 led to Oliveira being stripped of the lightweight title, rendering his opponent Justin Gaethje the only one eligible to win the belt.
Nevertheless, Oliveira dropped and submitted Gaethje in round one. That, however, is when Oliveira's stranglehold on the top of the lightweight division ended, as he was subsequently submitted by Islam Makhachev, who is now the 155-pound champion.
Charles Oliveira is back in title contention
After TKO'ing Beneil Dariush in round one at UFC 289, Charles Oliveira embarked on a mission for championship gold. He was, in fact, booked to face Islam Makhachev in a lightweight rematch at UFC 294 but withdrew after sustaining a cut in training.
He subsequently faced Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 300, losing to him via split-decision. He rebounded quickly by beating former foe Michael Chandler in dominant fashion at UFC 309.
Check out Charles Oliveira's rematch with Michael Chandler: