MMA News UFC
"Americans Betting $50000 on Me" – Charles Oliveira Says Shares Fans' Messages on How Much They Earned on Him
Published 12/24/2021, 2:30 PM EST
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – DECEMBER 15: Charles Oliveira of Brazil reacts to his submission victory over Jim Miller in their lightweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at Fiserv Forum on December 15, 2018 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
By Arunaditya Aima
Charles Oliveira wants to go into his fight against Justin Gaethje as an underdog.
'Do Bronx' is coming off an impressive win against Dustin Poirier. After being caught multiple times in the first round, the Brazilian displayed his superior grappling abilities and submitted 'The Diamond' in the third round. This marked his 10th win in a row and record 15th win via submission. It also earned him a performance of the night bonus. However, despite being the champion, Oliveira went into the fight as an underdog, and it is something he prefers.
He said, "It's good to be the underdog (because) many people make money, my fans make money. Friends and fans texted me pictures of their bets. Americans betting $10,000, $20,000, $50,000 on me. My friends from Brazil betting R$20,000, R$10,000. It's good because everybody makes money."
Charles Oliveira reacts to backstage encounter with Justin Gaethje, wants underdog status so 'my fans make money' (@guicruzzz) https://t.co/6QSWVA25AV pic.twitter.com/xaKjRG1OZk
— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) December 24, 2021
"When (others) don't believe in me, a lot of people make money. I met people in the streets of Las Vegas and they were like, Look, I bet on you and made money. I hope I continue as the underdog so everybody makes money," he added.
'I'm Down, He's Not'- Dustin Poirier Says Nate Diaz Has Rejected a Fight Against Him
Oliveira was also the underdog going into the fights against Kevin Lee and Tony Ferguson, both of which he convincingly won.
Charles Oliveira doesn't understand Justin Gaethje's behavior
Justin Gaethje, ever since Oliveira became the champion, has been downplaying his abilities. He picked Poirier to beat 'Do Bronx' but the Brazilian put in an impressive performance to stop him. After the win over 'The Diamond,' Gaethje was seen backstage showing respect for the champion, which was great to see.
Nothing but respect between @Justin_Gaethje and @CharlesDoBronxs. 👏
We'll be counting down the days till these two throw down! #UFC269 pic.twitter.com/fCzgOhOnMc
However, Oliveira doesn't understand it and weighed in on 'The Highlight' switching from a trash-talker, to a nice guy in person, to again a trash-talker. After embracing and showing respect to Oliveira backstage, Gaethje in the post-fight show said that he can't wait to break his face.
WATCH THIS STORY – Conor McGregor, Kamaru Usman and other UFC Stars Who Headlined the Most Successful PPV Events of 2021
The champion was a little surprised by this and said, "The guy is talking a bunch of crap the entire time, and when we meet face-to-face he says he has all the respect for me and what I do — and two minutes later he's saying he'll break my face and saying a bunch of stuff."
He would want guys to sell fights how they are and not try to be something they are not.
Arunaditya Aima
Arunaditya is a UFC writer at EssentiallySports. Having completed his Post Graduate Diploma in Multimedia Journalism from IIJNM, Arunaditya aspires to be an important voice in the world of MMA and interview the likes of Jon Jones, Conor McGregor, Amanda Nunes, and other such superstars of the sport. He has followed the sport for over a decade and is an ardent fan of Georges St-Pierre, who he believes is the greatest of all time.