UFC legend Charles Oliveira marked his return to the octagon with an emphatic win on Saturday night, before leaving fans stunned over his post-fight celebration.
‘Do Bronx’ enjoyed a homecoming triumph at the UFC’s Fight Night event in Rio de Janeiro after submitting Mateusz Gamrot in the second round of the main event bout.
Many fans had been concerned that Oliveira had rushed his return to the octagon after suffering a brutal KO defeat to Ilia Topuria in July.
However, the Brazilian put those fears to bed with his dominant performance against Gamrot and managed to secure the win inside 10 minutes in Brazil.
After the fight, Oliveira proceeded to call out Max Holloway for a rematch of their 2015 bout before then celebrating with his team and his family inside the octagon.
As part of those celebrations, Oliveira proudly lifted his son, Dominic, into the air with just one hand and paraded him around the octagon.
UFC legend Charles Oliveira celebrated his win by lifting his son in the air one-handed
The Brazilian returned to winning ways after beating Mateusz Gamrot via submission
The celebrations drew mixed reactions from fans, with some suggesting that it was dangerous while others loved it and drew likeness to an infamous ‘Lion King’ scene.
Plenty of UFC fans shared GIFs or images from the Lion King on X as they compared Do Bronx’s crowning moment with the scene from the movie.
Meanwhile, another fan, jokingly, wrote: ‘He’s being initiated… It might be his turn to stand on that ring someday’.
‘He’s the coolest fighter on the roster man,’ another said.
It was a vintage display from Oliveira on Saturday night as he extended his unbeaten record in Brazil to 7-0 over Polish counterpart Gamrot.
It didn’t take long for Holloway to respond to Oliveira’s callout and did so during a live stream just moments after the fight had finished.
Holloway said: ‘We heard the callout… it would be a fun one. Me and him have a history. He’s blaming [the loss] on some type of injury.
UFC fans were loving Oliveira’s celebration with his son inside the octagon on Saturday
The Brazilian extended his unbeaten record on home soil to 7-0 after beating Gamrot
‘I guess we get to figure it out now. My hand is getting better, we’re just waiting to get cleared.’
Any fight between the two would likely take place in the new year given that Oliveira just fought and Holloway is still recovering from a hand injury sustained in July.
Meanwhile, the victory over Gamrot on Saturday night means that Oliveira moves up to second in the all-time list for most UFC wins – just three behind Jim Miller.
Notably, Miller has had 10 more fights than the Brazilian, giving him a decent shot of one day being the record-holder.
