After defeating Michael Chandler no UFC 309which took place last Saturday (16), Charles “do Bronx” Oliveira vented about the illegal blows he suffered during the fight.
Over the five rounds, the American committed several infractions, such as holding onto the fence, hitting the Brazilian in the eye with his fingers and throwing a series of elbows at the back of his head, but he did not receive any warning.
“In the first second of the fight, I got poked in the eye. When I got into his legs, he grabbed the railing, I let go of my hand and showed it to the judge. No points were taken away, nothing was said to him”, said Charles, in interview with the Laerte Viana na Área channel, on YouTube.
The fighter reported other times that Chandler held the fence or hit his eye with his fingers and even showed one of his eyes with red marks. Oliveira also recalled that, before the fight, the event organizers visit the athletes’ locker room to remind them of the rules.
“They give you the theory and an hour later, f*** it. Something like that can take you out of the fight. Next fight I want to be a judge, it’s easier. I could have caused a serious injury, I could have lost the fight. But God was good, because I went there and won”, he said.
Charles do Bronx’s run for the title
In addition to the outburst, Charles do Bronx also pointed out that his objective within the UFC could be jeopardized, which is the race for the lightweight title. A new defeat would throw him to the back of the line.
“I have my dream, I can’t make mistakes. I fought an impeccable fight, I didn’t take a knockdown. One punch or another will land, that’s normal. I got poked in the eye, Chandler took advantage and the referee didn’t stop the fight. This can’t happen, I’ve been in the UFC for 15 years”, he said.
The Brazilian also said that he does not believe that Michael Chandler gave the illegal blows out of malice, but questioned the risk that the blows to the back of the head posed.
“There’s one lump after another on the back of my neck. It’s complicated, I was very upset about it,” he concluded.