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Charles Oliveira is currently deemed the lightweight champion, even though he officially does not hold the belt.
The Brazilian has defeated the who's-who of the division to get to this point. However, he did not always feel the same way about 155lbs. He was overwhelmed by the power and strength of his fellow lightweights early on and believed that the weightclass was not meant for him.
In a recent appearance on the Flow podcast alongside Demian Maia, 'do Bronx' revealed his initial sentiments about the situation while facing Paul Felder in his second UFC fight as a lightweight:
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"I had just went up to the division. I was fighting at 66kg... I wasn't acclimated. I felt that I was hitting him and he wouldn't even move. And when he would hit me... I was like 'Damn!' I swear to you the whole time I was like 'This guy must be crazy.' I closed submissions that had finished everyone else, and he just opened his arms and got out. The only thing on my mind was 'They want to kill me with this division.' These guys are a lot stronger."
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Charles Oliveira suffered a TKO via elbow strike in the fight against Paul Felder, which took place at UFC 218 in Detroit, Michigan.
That was his last loss in the UFC.
"I started to bulletproof my mind" - Charles Oliveira on how he bounced back in 155lbs.
The loss to Felder drove the message home in Oliveira's mind that to become successful in the lightweight division, he would have to match his fellow 155-pounders in strength.
He further revealed on the podcast what he did to level his game up, which eventually led to him being on the coveted lightweight throne four years later.
"So I started to bulletproof my mind, started to work out more. I told the team that I had to become stronger, that I had to be stronger. Today, [I'm] not over the fact of being the lightweight champion. But yes, I feel that when I hit they feel. I feel as strong as them. My history changed, because I said, 'I have to be strong as well. I have to hit hard as well.' Otherwise I'll end up just getting my a** kicked."
Watch the video with subtitles uploaded on 'MMA with Subtitles' YouTube channel below:
Charles Oliveira is set to fight Islam Makhachev at UFC 280 on October 22 in Abu Dhabi for the vacant lightweight strap.
