Gilbert Burns believes Charles Oliveira is responsible for re-igniting the fire that once burned so brightly in Brazilian MMA.
Some of the greatest fighters to grace the Octagon were Brazilian, such as former champions Anderson Silva and Jose Aldo just to name a couple. However, their UFC days are over with Silva moving to the boxing ring and Aldo retiring from MMA last year.
‘The One That Helped So Much To Grow It Back’
With those legends leaving the scene, Brazilian MMA took a downward turn in popularity, that is until one other Brazilian fighter helped bring it back to its pedestal. That would be former UFC Lightweight Champion, Burns stated on the Believe You Me Podcast.
“It’s a main sport, especially right now that we lost the World Cup,” Burns said (h/t: MMA News). “Soccer, football, is on a different level. But now, with the UFC back in Brazil, wow, it’s gonna be crazy. A lot more pressure on us fighters because we lost the World Cup and Charles lost the belt.
“But I think Charles was the one that helped so much to grow it back, because we got Anderson (Silva) and we got all those fighters, but then we kind of lost a little fighters. Then we got Amanda (Nunes); not that big in Brazil. (Deiveson) Figueiredo is not that big. Then we got Glover that kind of put a little fire.
“Then we got Oliveira that put a lot of fire in Brazil,” Burns added.
In his most recent outing, Charles Oliveira lost against Islam Makhachev for the vacant lightweight title at UFC 280. But before that, ‘Do Bronx’ went on one incredible run which saw him become UFC Lightweight Champion.
From 2018 to May 2022, the Brazilian went on a 11-fight win streak, consisting of 10 finishes. He’d shined a light on not just himself but his home country of Brazil, especially after beating the likes of Tony Ferguson, Michael Chandler, Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje.
