UFC cutman draws superhero parallels cherishing his friendship with Charles Oliveira

UFC fans know by now that Charles Oliveira has formed a unique bond with UFC cutman Brad Tate. His heartwarming friendship with Tate has become a fan-favorite storyline.

Before stepping into the octagon, Oliveira can often be seen sharing a moment with Tate as he gets prepped with Vaseline and undergoes routine pre-fight checks. After the fight, Oliveira often lifts Tate in celebration whenever he wins a contest.

Recently, ESPN MMA shared a picture of the two together, which prompted Tate to share a heartfelt tribute online. In his words, Tate compared their bond to iconic duos like Batman and Robin, Superman and Lois, and Bert and Ernie. He wrote:

"Batman had Robin, Superman had Lois, Bert had Ernie, I have Charles."

Check out the post and Brad Tate's comment below:

This weekend at UFC 309, Oliveira is set to take on Michael Chandler, three years after their first clash for the vacant UFC lightweight throne. Oliveira is looking to rebound after a split decision loss to Arman Tsarukyan and break his win-loss pattern in the last four fights.

Meanwhile, Chandler returns to Madison Square Garden, determined to reverse his luck at the iconic venue after losses to Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier.

---

Michael Chandler claims he's a "completely different man" ahead of rematch against Charles Oliveira

Michael Chandler returns to action after two years to take on Charles Oliveira in the co-main event of UFC 309. The American fell short in his attempt to capture the lightweight championship during their first clash at UFC 262, which resulted in a second-round TKO loss.

Reflecting on their first matchup at UFC 262, Chandler believes his mindset and preparation have significantly evolved. Despite being 35 at the time, Chandler feels he was “too young” in terms of octagon experience, with only two and a half minutes of UFC time under his belt. Speaking about the loss in a recent interview on The Ariel Helwani Show, Chandler said:

“I was too young, man. Even though I was old, I was too young, I was too new in the sport, I had two and a half minutes of octagon experience and two and a half minutes of UFC cage time. Not only have I grown as a fighter, but obviously these last two years that I’ve been out of the octagon, out of competition, so many things I’ve changed and so many things I’ve worked on and so many things, I’ve turned into a completely different man."

Check out Michael Chandler's comments below (15:30):

Brad Tate talks about his bond with Charles Oliveira. [Screenshots from @espnmma on Instagram]