Charles Oliveira’s head coach, Diego Lima, recently discussed the injury Oliveira suffered during his first fight with Max Holloway in 2015 at UFC Saskatoon.
Holloway vs. Oliveira 1 was a featherweight fight between two young talents that lasted only a few seconds. In the second minute of the fight, while trying to take Holloway down, “Do Bronxs” suffered a mysterious injury that appeared to be a severe sprain.
Charles Oliveira put his right hand over his left shoulder, signaling to Holloway and referee Dean that something had gone terribly wrong. Dean stopped the fight then and there “Blessed” winning by TKO.
The Brazilian was immediately hospitalized and officials confirmed he had suffered a micro-tear in his esophagus. At that time, Oliveira was only 25 years old.
What happened to Charles Oliveira at UFC Saskatoon?
Recently, the former coach of the former UFC Lightweight Champion, Diego Lima, spoke about the 2015 injury in an interview with MMA Fighting. He stated that to date no one knows clearly what happened to Charles Oliveira at UFC Saskatoon:
“It was all very strange. Really crazy how it happened. So much so that even today no one knows what really happened. The hospital wouldn’t let him leave or return to Brazil because they couldn’t find out exactly what the problem was, he still had that paralysis. It was something very serious that no one had ever found out.”
Lima added that “Do Bronxs” was not injured during his first meeting with Holloway.
“If you watch the fight, he doesn’t get hit, nothing happened. He walks back, feels something and leans against the fence. It’s not like, ‘Man, he’s getting beat up in this fight.’ None of that. The fight hadn’t even really developed yet. It was just starting to find its rhythm.”
The hospital would not release Charles Oliveira two days after the Holloway fight because they could not find the cause of his injury. Lima further added:
“That’s why it was very scary. If we know what it is, we treat it. But because no one knew exactly what it was, there was nothing to treat. He stayed in the hospital and the hospital didn’t want to release him at all because he wasn’t getting better.” [h/t: MMA Fighting]
Since their first meeting, both fighters have evolved tremendously. One now proudly calls himself the best boxer in the UFC, while the other is widely regarded as the best submission artist.
Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira will do it again next month at UFC 326. This time, Oliveira won’t just be fighting for redemption. He also gets the chance to dethrone BMF champion Holloway.
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