Charles Oliveira produced the defining win of his career on Saturday when he beat former interim UFC champion Tony Ferguson in the UFC 256 co-headliner.
Oliveira (30-8 MMA, 18-8 UFC) pushed his impressive winning streak to eight consecutive fights when he beat Ferguson (25-5 MMA, 15-3 UFC) by unanimous decision, furthering his assent up to the lightweight pecking order. The Brazilian used his sensational ground game to outwork Ferguson from every position, taking 30-26 scorecards across the board.
“He’s a champion. I knew he wasn’t gonna tap out,” Oliveira said post fight through a translator. “I came here to make history. You tell me: Who’s dominated him like that?”
Oliveira came out of the gate firing, attacking Ferguson with high and low kicks and charging in with combinations. Ferguson worked with his counters, but Oliveira’s aggression was effective, and led into a big takedown less than 90 seconds in. Oliveira went to work from top, advancing to mount in short order and putting Ferguson in serious danger. He worked away for the next few minutes before transitioning to an armbar in the final seconds, which badly twisted Ferguson’s arm. He was saved by the bell, and it went on to a second round.
OMG! HOW DIDN’T TONY TAP!? #UFC256 pic.twitter.com/o6lonK9Q1R
— UFC (@ufc) December 13, 2020
Ferguson’s arm appeared to be compromised to start the second round, and Oliveira smelled the blood. He pushed forward with kicks and punches before securing a takedown less than a minute in. Ferguson landed an illegal upkick from bottom, forcing a break in action. Oliveira was cut open, but it came from an elbow just beforehand. The action resumed, and Oliveira dominated from on top, chipping away at Ferguson with strikes and keeping him on bottom for the remainder of the round.
With the fight decisively in his favor, Oliveira didn’t relent in Round 3. He took Ferguson down again, controlled him, attacked with submissions, and almost finished the fight. He couldn’t put the final stamp, but his effort was undeniable.
“The boss already said whoever won this fight would be a in a great position to fight for the belt,” Oliveira said. “When Conor (McGregor) and (Dustin) Poirier fight in January, I’m gonna be watching. I’m gonna wait to see who will fight me.”
With the win, Oliveira becomes the 13th fighter in UFC history to reach 18 octagon victories. “Do Bronx” also holds a plethora of other records to his name.
The lightweight bout was the UFC 256 co-main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2/ESPN+.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 256 results include:
- Charles Oliveira def. Tony Ferguson via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)
- Mackenzie Dern def. Virna Jandiroba via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Kevin Holland def. Ronaldo Souza via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 1:45
- Ciryl Gane def. Junior Dos Santos via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 2:34
- Cub Swanson def. Daniel Pineda via knockout (punches) – Round 2, 1:52
- Rafael Fiziev def. Renato Moicano via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 4:05
- Gavin Tucker def. Billy Quarantillo via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Tecia Torres def. Sam Hughes via TKO (doctor’s stoppage) – Round 1, 5:00
- Chase Hooper def. Peter Barrett via submission (heel hook) – Round 3, 3:02