5 times that UFC lightweight champ Charles Oliveira was destroyed inside the octagon

#2. Charles Oliveira vs. Anthony Pettis – UFC on Fox 21

Anthony Pettis managed to submit Charles Oliveira after a brutal clash in 2016

One of Charles Oliveira’s most memorable bouts in the UFC came in the summer of 2017. He locked horns with former UFC lightweight champ Anthony Pettis in the latter’s first foray into the 145lbs division.

Sadly for Oliveira, this was a brutal fight that ended with him taking some serious damage en route to a third round submission loss.

The two men went toe-to-toe on the feet from the off. The action didn’t slow down when the fight hit the ground, either. Despite Pettis bringing a reputation for striking and Oliveira for grappling, both men were able to put together plenty of offense in both areas.

By the third round, the big difference appeared to be the fact that Oliveira was beginning to tire while Pettis still appeared to be fresh.

Despite the Brazilian landing an early takedown, Pettis was able to reverse position and get on top. He then locked in a tight guillotine choke when Oliveira went for another takedown.

‘Do Bronx’ attempted to posture up to alleviate the pressure on his neck, but it was no good and he was swiftly forced to tap out.

It’s fair to say that Oliveira gave pretty much as good as he got in this fight. However, it was also very disappointing to see him lose in such a manner – making this one of the most devastating losses of his UFC career.

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#1. Charles Oliveira vs. Cub Swanson – UFC 152

Cub Swanson utterly folded Charles Oliveira in their clash at UFC 152

Over the course of his decade-long UFC career, Charles Oliveira has won plenty of fights and lost plenty too. However, none of his losses were quite as devastating as the one he suffered at UFC 152 against Cub Swanson.

At the time, Oliveira was looking like one of the UFC featherweight division’s best prospects. He’d debuted with an impressive win over Eric Wisely, and followed it up with a win over Jonathan Brookins a few months later.

However, he firmly met his match when he faced Swanson. The veteran landed a nasty right hand in the early going. Oliveira did well to take it, and seemed fine when he instantly took him down in response.

A solid grappler in his own right, though, Swanson reversed to his feet. Soon after, he connected with a whipping right hand to the temple of ‘Do Bronx’.

The punch landed cleanly, and while Oliveira remained standing for a moment, he quickly collapsed to the ground in a delayed reaction, looking like he’d been shot.

Swanson didn’t even need to follow up the shot as it was clear that Oliveira was done. Sure enough, referee Yves Lavigne quickly stepped in.

While he has not been knocked out cold since, it was this fight that largely led to Charles Oliveira gaining a reputation as a glass cannon of sorts. It remains his most devastating loss in the UFC to this day.