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The UFC is headed to Saudi Arabia for the first time since its inception. The Organization’s maiden event in the Middle Eastern country will take place on March 2, 2024, and Vinicius Oliveira will make his promotional debut on the card.
Oliveira is a Brazilian mixed martial artist with a 19-3 record as a professional. He started his pro MMA career on Brazil’s regional circuit. His explosive knockouts during a stint with Future FC helped him gain popularity, and the 27-year-old transitioned to Abu Dhabi-based MMA promotion UAE Warriors, starting in November 2020.
‘Lok Dog’ got a shot at the promotion’s bantamweight title after two impressive wins. He defeated Xavier Alaoui with a devastating head kick knockout to become champion in March 2021. He defended the top spot against Sylvester Chipfumbu seven months later. However, Ali Taleb dethroned Oliveira to capture the UAE Warriors 135-pound strap in July 2022.
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The Brazilian fighter carried his vast 21-fight experience into his Dana White’s Contender Series appearance against Victor Madrigel, scoring a vicious first-round knockout.
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In one of the most iconic displays of self-confidence, Oliveira carried a pen to UFC boss Dana White for signing the contract during the post-fight celebration.
See the video below:
White was thoroughly impressed with Oliveira’s performance and felt confident they could match him against more experienced fighters on the roster.
Oliveira dedicates a lot of his success to his coaches and training partners at the Porto Alegre-based gym Sombra Team MMA. Reflecting on his signing with the UFC, the team’s coach Rafael Sombra expressed his thoughts in an Instagram post:
“Thank you Las Vegas! History has been made.”
When Vinicius Oliveira was ranked as the best bantamweight from Brazil
Vinicius Oliveira’s knockout power of Madrigel made him an instant sensation in the American MMA community. However, he earned a reputation for being one of the best fighters to come out of Brazil long before that.
The 27-year-old was listed as the No.1-ranked Brazilian bantamweight among 758 fighters by notable MMA portal Tapology in 2021.
At the time of this writing, ‘Lok Dog’ is the No. 94-ranked bantamweight fighter in Tapology’s database.
He is set to start a new chapter of his MMA career in 2024. Oliveira will fight Yanis Ghemmouri at UFC Fight Night 238. The event will take place on March 2, 2024, at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
