UFC Fight Night 36’s Charles Oliveira: Frankie Edgar fight proved ‘I belong’

A two-fight losing streak would have most fighters sweating their place on the UFC roster, but Charles Oliveira feels more at home with the organization than ever before.

A quick glance at his UFC record would imply he’s nothing particularly special. His 4-4 record inside the octagon is seemingly little to brag about, especially when three of the four wins have come against fighters no longer with the company.

It’s when you examine the losses, though, that you find out the Brazilian is much more than just a middling featherweight.

Since all of his defeats coming to fighters ranked in the top 10 of their respective weight classes, Oliveira isn’t discouraged by his UFC run to date. In fact, his most recent fight, with Frankie Edgar, made him realize he has what it takes to compete with the world’s best.

“I showed that I’ve been putting in good work and that I belong,” Oliveira told MMAjunkie of his fight with Edgar. “Many people were sure I wouldn’t make it out of the first round. I think the first round was close, the second I believe I won, and the third I know I lost.”

While the eventual unanimous-decision loss to “The Answer” was pretty clear-cut, Oliveira did have his moments in the fight. And though he couldn’t capitalize, Oliveira said he learned several valuable lessons from the loss.

“I grow as a fighter from fight to fight,” Oliveira said. “I’ve been working to improve my striking. I’m always learning something new.”

With a newfound confidence in his skillset, Oliveira (16-4 MMA, 4-4 UFC) enters Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 36 bout with Andy Ogle (9-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC) free of worry over the fact he could potentially be fighting for his job. Instead, the Brazilian, who competes on the FOX Sports 1-televised main card, is motivated to show how much he’s grown since the July loss to the ex-champ.

“Expect to see Charles Oliveira, but an improved version,” he said. “My standup and jiu-jitsu are even sharper now. I am going to put my muay Thai and boxing into action. If he makes any mistakes, expect me to win by knockout. I’m not interested in decisions.”

Saturday’s event takes place at Arena Jaragua in Jaragua do Sul, Santa Catarina, Brazil. Several changes to the fight card resulted in Oliveira’s fight with Ogle opening up the televised portion of the event.

As a competitor with five UFC fight-night bonuses to his name, Oliveira is known for his crowd-pleasing style, and that’s the exact reason he feels UFC officials promoted his fight.

“They understand that by putting me on the main card, they won’t be disappointed,” Oliveira said. “I’ll keep moving forward, win or lose. I think they appreciate that. I’m training for a war. My parents will be there to see me fight in the UFC, in person, for the first time. I’ll move ahead until I get a knockout or I’m knocked out, until I submit or get submitted.”

Even though Ogle doesn’t represent the type of competition Oliveira has faced in his past two fights, “do Bronx” is just as motivated as any other fight and feels a win will help move one stop closer to a place in the world rankings.

“I do wish to be in the top 10,” Oliveira said. “That’s what I’ve been working toward.”

For more on UFC Fight Night 36, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.