Charles Oliveira is on quite the unbeaten run.
The Sao Paulo, Brazil native has finished his last six fights in a row as he heads into a pivotal main-event matchup Saturday against former UFC interim lightweight title challenger Kevin Lee at UFC on ESPN+ 28.
Since returning to 155 pounds, Oliveira (28-8 MMA, 16-8 UFC) has looked better than ever, winning seven of his last eight while notching six “Performance of the Night” bonuses in the process.
“I’m feeling 100 percent,” Oliveira told MMA Junkie. “I’m very happy. I feel blessed. I’m on a six-fight winning streak – four submissions and two knockouts. It shows how much I’ve evolved on the feet. 2020 is a very promising year for me. I’m starting out the year with the main fight at UFC Brasilia. I want to keep up this rhythm and focus. I’m happily in pursuit of my dreams.
“I’m in an amazing phase. I feel like I just got brought into the UFC. I’m happy. I’m eager to win. Of course, I respect all my opponents. But I’ll keep moving forward. My friends and I always say, ‘The time for meowing is done, now it’s time to roar.’ You’ll see a completely different Charles, much better than in my recent wins. This kid from the favela will keep on winning.”
Lee bounced back from a two-fight losing streak with an emphatic knockout over highly touted prospect Gregor Gillespie last November.
As impressive of a win as it was, Oliveira thinks Gillespie was actually getting the better of Lee before he was caught with the shot early.
“Kevin Lee had a great win over Gregor Gillespie, someone who had been undefeated before, but each fight is unique,” Oliveira said. “They’re too unpredictable. Anything can happen. As I see it, Kevin was losing, but he was able to get the win by connecting with one good punch followed by a high kick.”
“I’m not entirely sure how rankings work. There are guys I’ve beat who are ranked above me. Some guys have a win over me, and they’re below,” Oliveira said. “In truth, I just want to keep winning so I can reach my goal. My eventual goal is to be the UFC champion. My focus now is only on Kevin Lee. We’ll have a great fight in Brasilia on March 14.”
Charles Oliveira 'in an amazing phase' of career before Kevin Lee fight at UFC Brasilia
