Charles Oliveira faced a major upset at the International Fight Week, when Ilia Topuria knocked him out in the first round. The Brazilian star was aiming to become a two-time lightweight champion, but the defeat against a former featherweight champion squashed his dreams. Needless to say, he got pretty emotional following the loss and felt like he owed his fans an apology. And he wrote, “My apologies,” in an X post following the bout. Around 48 million followers of UFC’s Instagram page kept reminding ‘Do Bronx’ of his defeat. But it was his girlfriend, Vitoria Brum, who swooped in to his rescue. 

Brum is almost always seen beside the 35-year-old. Even before the battle against ‘El Matador,’ she stood in support of her boyfriend as he went through the troubles of the weight cut. Taking to Instagram, Brum shared a powerful message along with a picture of herself sitting beside a blanket-wrapped Oliveira. She wrote, “We won the biggest war, beaten weight, you’re f—– up, you’re not the one they call you “enlightened” I love you I’m very proud of the man you are…” And even after Oliveira lost the battle, it was Brum who continued to stand by his side. 

During a recent interview on Ag.Fight, ‘Do Bronxs’ revealed how his girlfriend helped him conquer his emotions after the loss. He said, “Man, losing the way you did, getting knocked out, you know? Everything is making you feel sad, you feel me? So, you say, man, dude, when I opened up [phone] my wife kept telling me, ‘Don’t touch your phone,’ you know? ‘Don’t touch your phone.’ Because she saw me sad, saw me cry several times, several times in the corner, I was crying and… ‘Don’t touch your phone… Forget about it for a bit. Focus here, focus on your son. Wanna use your phone? Call your daughter.’” 

The Brazilian lightweight contender continued, “I heard that a lot. ‘Focus on your child. Focus on your son. Wanna use your phone? Call your daughter, mom, dad.’ I’d say, ‘Call the guy who are dealing your horses. Talk about something else.’ I’d say, ‘I’m fine, I’m cool,’ but online, more followers, more people were like, ‘Congrats, bro!’” But there were a few fans who tried to uplift ‘Do Bronxs.’ He went on, “Man, the thing I heard the most was like, ‘You’ll always be our champ, that’ll never change,’ you know?” 

Losing a fight certainly comes with a boatload of emotional woes. And it seemed like Oliveira’s emotional troubles were rooted in frustration. No doubt, he knew how strong Topuria’s fists were. He even dubbed the Spaniard as the ‘hardest hitter.’ But his frustration stemmed from the fact that he couldn’t execute his training at UFC 317.

Charles Oliveira reveals his frustration following loss to Ilia Topuria at UFC 317

As the conversation with Ag.Fight continued, ‘Do Bronxs’ opened up on his frustration. He said, “I would change everything—not in my training camp, but in the fight. Everything I trained for, I didn’t put into practice. I didn’t do anything I trained for. He implemented his strategy and became champion. In reality, the strategy was to hit and get out, step on his knees, use hand sequences to kick high to the head, and maintain distance with my front kicks.”

Charles Oliveira trained his calf kicks and knee stomps a lot. He trained not to stand still against Ilia Topuria. However, things went awfully wrong during the fight. He stood still and continued to take blows from ‘El Matador.’ According to the Brazilian, things would have been completely different had he maintained his distance, moved his hands a bit more, executed the front kicks and stomps, and tried for a takedown. He continued, “That’s what frustrates me the most. Having trained so hard for something and not having done it in the fight.”

But Oliveira hasn’t really given up completely. He has planned to jump back into action and redeem himself by the end of the year. And his target? It’s none other than the BMF Champion Max Holloway. According to ‘Do Bronxs,’ the duo can fight sometime in November 2025. Do you think Oliveira can beat Holloway? Or will Brum have to console her significant other once again?