What Is Charles Oliveira’s Nationality, Ethnicity, and Origin? Can He Speak English?

Some of the most talented and famous MMA fighters come from Brazil. Anderson Silva, Jose Aldo, and many others come from the South American country. One such fighter is the former UFC lightweight champion, Charles Oliveira. ‘Do Bronx’ was born in 1989 and started his MMA career way back in 2008. He went 12-0 in his career before being signed by the UFC. The Brazilian has fought in the featherweight and the lightweight division in the UFC.

The 5’10” fighter has a great resume. He is a 40+ fight MMA veteran with 34 wins, 10 defeats, and one no-contest. While Oliveira’s professional story is pretty well-known, the fight fans have often wondered about his personal life. Today, let’s dive in and get to know more about the former Brazilian champ.

What is Charles Oliviera’s ethnicity and nationality?

Oliveira hails from Brazil and was born in Vicente de Carvalho in Guaruja. He had a humble beginning, and his family struggled to make ends meet. Before he started his training in BJJ, Oliveira used to sell cheese salad with his mom. They used to sell the salad from a trailer to make ends meet. Through this work, he was introduced to many people and came across people who trained in BJJ. Because of financial restraints, he could not pay the training fees, but he was allowed to train for free by the coach.

When Oliveira was seven years old, a doctor diagnosed him with rheumatic fever and a heart murmur. It severely affected his ankle, and he was told he could develop paraplegia. However, Oliviera was introduced to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and started training in it at the age of 12. He won his first tournament as a white belt in 2003. Since then, he hasn’t looked back.

Oliveira got the name ‘Do Bronx’ which means from the Bronx. Bronx is a Brazilian slang used for favelas, and he grew up in the favelas of Vicente de Carvalho. He tries and gives back to his people in any way possible and makes sure he maintains a positive presence in his hometown.

But what about ‘Do Bronx’s religion? Let’s see which faith the Brazilian mixed martial artist follows.

What religion does Charles Oliveira follow?

‘Do Bronx’ is an avid follower of Christianity. He often says, “eu sou iluminado.” The English translation of the Portuguese phrase is “I am illuminated.” Needless to say, this phrase reflects Oliveira’s belief in Christ, since illumination is God’s blessing for a believer when he willingly submits himself to the glory of the gospel.

The former lightweight champion has also spoken a few words about faith. He said, “Faith can move mountains. If you believe and have faith, you will climb this building without any equipment…You experience things you never thought you would. That’s faith.” 

Talking about being the one to spread the word of Christ, Oliveira said, “I was chosen, I was chosen to talk about God. I was chosen to show that a kid from a slum community can be successful, I was chosen to show that your faith in God can move mountains.” Having defeated paraplegia, heart murmur, and rheumatic fever, Oliveira’s faith deepened. Just like he said, faith had the power to help him accomplish even the impossible. Not only did he overcome the medical anomalies, but also rose to become one of the most celebrated champions in the UFC.

Can ‘Do Bronx’ speak English?

Oliveira is not very fluent in speaking English. He always required a translator in his interviews, until very recently. After winning his last fight at UFC 289, Oliveira told the crowd, “The champion has a name, Charles Oliveira, brother.” This was one of the first times fans had heard English from the former champ.

Although he knew little to no English earlier, ‘Do Bronx’ is learning the language now. And his efforts are out in the open. But will we witness Oliveira impressing the world of mixed martial arts in English anytime soon? That’s something that remains to be seen.

Nevertheless, the Brazilian fighter is all set to extract some ‘Oohs’ and ‘Aahs’ from the crowd at UFC 309, as he would land against Michael Chandler in the co-main event. Will history repeat itself and let Oliveira rise victorious over ‘Iron’? Or will Chandler overturn the tables and defeat Oliveira instead? Let us know what you think in the comment down below.