Charles Oliveira is on the verge of making history if he wins the lightweight title for a second time. But opposite him is former featherweight champion Ilia Topuria, who’s not going to go down without putting on a fight as he seeks the two-weight champion status as well. However, before we even got to their main event fight at UFC 317, fans expressed their concerns after witnessing ‘Do Bronxs’s state ahead of the big-time title clash.

Well, lightweight contenders Beneil Dariush and Renato Moicano put on an excellent showing, as ‘Benny’ returned to the winning column with a decision win. It’s been a while since he saw himself on the other side, but that did not seem to be what fans were interested in. As the aforementioned duo were engaged in their clash, a pop-up graphic appeared on the screen, which piqued fans’ interest as it involved Charles Oliveira.

The pop-up graphic in question was backstage footage of Charles Oliveira and his team in the locker room. The former lightweight champion was seen lying on the floor as his coach appeared to massage his back. But the way Oliveira appeared to be lying on the ground appeared as though he was fast asleep. This totally took the fans by surprise.

As expected, a screenshot of that backstage footage landed on social media, especially X. Witnessing that snap, fans shared some pretty hilarious takes on the main event fight, claiming that Charles Oliveira could be planning something for his fight against Ilia Topuria. Here’s what they had to say.

Fans weigh in on Charles Oliveira’s ‘gameplan’

UFC 317 is a big deal since it’s the flagship event for Dana White and Co. during the International Fight Week. The anticipation is there for the main event, so some fans took issue with the UFC showing that backstage footage of Charles Oliveira, as one of them commented, “Why they gotta show that,” in a post on X. But on the other hand, another fan added, “I knew this was coming,” indicating that he wasn’t surprised with what he saw.

The fight community appears to be convinced that Charles Oliveira may have a tactic. What is that tactic? Well, the fans believe that ‘Do Bronxs’ could be keeping an excuse ready if things against Ilia Topuria don’t go down according to his plans. “Charles got KO’d in the lockeroom so he doesn’t in the cage… I like this gameplan.” But on the other hand, some fans had jokes after what they saw with Oliveira.

A fan commented, “Ilia Topuira got bored waiting and just chinned Charles Oliveria backstage hope Arman is getting his hands wrapped as we speak,” claiming that the main event may have started already backstage. Well, that’s pretty hilarious, but that wasn’t the end. Another user on X echoed the same sentiment, but doesn’t think Ilia Topuria had anything to do with it. “Dude went out cold in the locker room before the fight,” he commented.

For many fans, meanwhile, they don’t believe this is typical behavior from Charles Oliveira. However, they believe it might work out in his favor, with one fan commenting, “He’s acting thinking different damn… i don’t reckon anyone’s ever tried this s–t before I think it will help [100 per cent] guy might be a damn genius.” But in all seriousness, the community believes this backstage instance may lead to the excitement for the main event dying down at the biggest event of the UFC’s calendar year. “Definitely not a good look,” a fan stated in that regard.

Well, everyone has their perception and opinion about the backstage footage of Charles Oliveira. But do you agree with them when they say that it’s a concerning sight? Drop your comments below.