Judging by Charles Oliveira‘s dominant performances in the Octagon, no one could have guessed that ‘do Bronx’s vision was only at 50% at one point. While sporting thick eyeglasses outside of fighting for the longest time, Oliveira battled poor eyesight inside the Octagon but still managed to pull off electrifying performances inside the cage. The former champion had been battling a severe eye condition almost all his life, to a point where his poor vision had him see one fighter as three people inside the Octagon.

Fresh off of his loss to Arman Tsarukyan, fans are wondering whether Charles Oliveira’s history with poor vision will affect him in his upcoming fight against Michael Chandler at UFC 309. Ahead of this much anticipated clash with ‘Iron’, let’s take a closer look at Oliveira history of health problems, including his poor vision that he fought with for a good chunk of his career.

How bad was Charles Oliveira’s eyesight?

Born in the favelas of Vicente de Carvalho in Guarujá, São Paulo, Charles Oliveira suffered from severe rheumatic fevers when he was seven years old. According to his mother, Ozona, ‘do Bronx’ lived in constant pain due to his condition. According to medical journals, rheumatic fever is an inflammatory disease that can develop as a result of complications due to untreated or poorly treated strep throat. The fever commonly affects children between the ages of 5 and 15. It is caused due to the Streptococcus bacteria. Though Oliveira was diagnosed with just Rheumatic fever, it took a heavy toll on various part of his body including his eyesight.

Due͏ to restricted blood flow in the ret͏͏ina͏͏l a͏r͏͏tery caused by ͏the fever, ͏there w͏a͏s a r͏is͏k ͏of pe͏rmane͏n͏t ͏eye dam͏age for ‘do Bronx’ as a child.͏ The fever didn’t just affect Oliveira’s eyesight, but also his ability to walk. However, despite͏ defying ͏the ͏odds ͏and͏ proving his doct͏o͏r wro͏n͏g ͏by wa͏lkin͏g a͏g͏ai͏n, his famil͏y cou͏ldn’t͏ ͏d͏͏o m͏͏uch to pr͏e͏vent th͏e i͏m͏pact͏͏ ͏on his eyesight. The former lightweight champion revealed that his vision was restricted without his glasses, “I see three [faces]. If I hit the middle one, that’s fine. I think keep this same technique.”

He further added, “Three guys for me, is perfect. If I hit the one in the middle, it’s good. I’ll tell you the truth, I’m a guy who has a lot of faith in God, and its no joke. If I take my glasses off, I only see 50 percent but it never hindered me in a fight.” Imagine how tough it would have been for Oliveira to fight with impaired vision, only for him to leave a pile of top names in his wake to become a world champion.

In a sport where fighters constantly pull out of fights as a result of injuries and/or medical issues, Charles Oliveira rose to the pinnacle of sport despite a condition that would leave most fighters debilitated. For ‘do Bronx’ to display such dominance despite having poor vision, speaks to the grit, tenancity and hardwork of the São Paulo native.

Did Charles Oliveira get his vision fixed?

Ahead of his UFC 280 bout against Islam Makahchev, the Brazilian fighter underwent a much-needed eye surgery at the time, as a result of his eyesight worsening.  According to Charles Oliveira his vision massively improved after the surgery, “I had the surgery, and my eyes are 100 percent perfect. I can see everything now,” Oliveira told SI while speaking through a translator.

However, having his vision at 100% wasn’t enough for him to stave off the Dagestani fighter’s brutal onslaught, which saw the Dagestani fighter drop the Brazilian and submit him in the second round at UFC 280. In his next fight at UFC 289, Oliveira handled a surging Beneil Dariush with ease, finishing the Iranian fighter in the first round. The success over Dariush was short-lived as ‘do Bronx’ met his match in Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 300, where both fighters fought to razor-thin split decision win in favor of the Armenian fighter.

The question is; did Oliveira’s performances diminish after getting his vision fixed? We can’t say for sure, but the last three fights have not exactly played out like what we’ve come to see from the former lightweight champion. Since undergoing eye surgery, Charles Oliveira amassed a 1-2 promotional record.

Will Charles Oliveira be able to find himself back in the win column against Michael Chandler at UFC 309? Will his improved vision have him beat ‘Iron’ faster this time around? Let us know in the comments below.