Ariel Helwani discusses Charles Oliveira's superstardom despite lack of English

Ariel Helwani believes the weight-miss fiasco ahead of UFC 274 made Charles Oliveira an even bigger star than he already was. Helwani believes that the ever-growing likes on the Brazilian's social media posts are a testament to this.

The Canadian journalist said on The MMA Hour:

"I would actually strongly argue that whole situation made him into a bigger star. It made him somewhat, even though he was already a sympathetic figure considering where he's been, where he's come from, what he's had to overcome. But this I think added to that. And I really think he's become and even bigger star as a result."

Oliveira was stripped off his title after controversially missing weight for his last title fight against Justin Gaethje. He went on to deliver a first-round submission win over Gaethje and famously proclaimed that the UFC lightweight champion has a name: Charles Oliveira.

Helwani also noted that Oliveira has ammassed a massive following in the United States despite not speaking English. According to him, the number of UFC stars to have achieved this feat can be counted on one hand. He added that even former lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov had to adopt the language, unlike 'do Bronx':

"And amazing, very rare that someone who doesn't speak English is able to connect with the audience here in America. It has worked for him. He doesn't need it. Very few guys, Anderson, Jose Aldo, you could probably count on less than five fingers... Even Khabib started to need speaking a little bit to connect."

Watch Helwani's comments on Charles Oliveira's stardom below:

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When Islam Makhachev mocked Charles Oliveira's inability to speak English

The lightweight title clash between Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev is arguably the most anticipated UFC fight of the year. Neither Oliveira nor Makhachev are native English speakers, hailing from Brazil and Russia respectively.

However, Makhachev is slowly learning the tongue, following in the footsteps of his predecessor Khabib Nurmagomedov. While the Dagestani contender isn't very fluent himself, he is baffled by Oliveira's complete inability to speak the language. The 31-year-old said on ESPN MMA's DC & RC:

"I don't know, I don't understand this guy. He tried to always make [it about] money. But this guy doesn't speak English. Nobody understands this guy, he doesn't speak English. English is important if you wanna make money, you have to speak some language everybody understands. Nobody understands what he's saying."

Watch Islam Makhachev's appearance on DC & RC below: