Charles Oliveira has been dropped, submitted, written off, and counted out more than most champions have. However, the scariest moment of his career didn’t come from a punch he didn’t see; it came from his own body shutting down.

When he headlined against Max Holloway at UFC Fight Night 74 back in 2015, the loss didn’t haunt him. It was what followed next. Rumors spread about his esophagus, about a strange injury that forced a first-round stoppage. But what fans didn’t fully grasp was just how close ‘Do Bronx’ felt to losing far more than a fight that night.

Charles Oliveira opens up on the biggest health scare of his life

“It really wasn’t exactly that,” Charles Oliveira told NY Post Sports in Portuguese. “I lost movement on my left side in there in the fight, and I think a lot of people didn’t know what I explained how, what it was, so they talked about the esophagus and all of that.

But, you know, the reality of it, it was an injury to my neck. There were talks that I could have been paralyzed because of that, but the reality is that I lost movement on my left side. You know, it was no joke.”

The damage was severe. ‘Do Bronx’ recalled being given emergency treatment; however, he just couldn’t feel any of that happening since the Brazilian powerhouse had lost his senses on the left side.

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“I was told that I was in the ambulance, the guys were trying to put an IV in my arm, and I wouldn’t even feel it because I just couldn’t feel my left side,” he confessed. “So I was scared that my career was over at that moment.”

In that moment, terror took the place of adrenaline as he wondered if his career was over at that moment. Not because of the loss against Max Holloway, but because he was unsure whether he’d regain control of his body.

And to be honest, his fear was justified since for four hours, the left side was completely unresponsive. He has since revealed that paralysis was a real concern discussed around him. That night may have changed everything. Charles Oliveira had already experienced setbacks inside the Octagon, but this was different.

This was physical vulnerability in its rawest form. A fighter who had built his identity on resilience was suddenly confronted with fragility. A decade later, Charles Oliveira is still one of the most accomplished lightweights in UFC history, and he is set to face ‘Blessed’ again.

The irony is not lost on him. The man who once feared never fighting again is now seeking redemption on one of the sport’s biggest stages. If anything, that night in 2015 explains the ‘Do Bronx’ we know today: fearless, aggressive, and even reckless in his quest for excellence.

When you’ve felt your body go numb and wondered if you’ll ever move the same way again, stepping into a cage doesn’t seem nearly as frightening anymore. Especially when you know that you’re next in line for a title shot.

‘Do Bronx’ insists a win over Max Holloway leads him to the lightweight gold

Charles Oliveira’s brush with paralysis did more than harden him; it gave him utmost clarity. Now, as he prepares to meet Max Holloway again at UFC 326 in Las Vegas, he isn’t talking about closure. He’s talking about consequences. For ‘Do Bronx,’ this rematch is not about nostalgia. It’s leverage.

“I’m one fight away [from a title shot], but right now I’m focused on one thing only: Max Holloway,” Oliveira told Olhar da Luta. “I think Topuria has every chance in the world to knock Gaethje out and keep the belt.”

Charles Oliveira understands the landscape really well. Ilia Topuria is set to meet Justin Gaethje soon, possibly at the White House. But Oliveira is already planning two steps ahead. ‘Do Bronx’ sees Topuria winning the fight and vacating it to face Islam Makhachev for the welterweight title.

That means the lightweight throne is up for grabs again, and his fight against Max Holloway is the clearest path he sees that leads him to being the kingpin of the division.

“If I win now [at UFC 326], I’m definitely next in line for the title. Then they just have to see who will be the other guy,” he added.

So, it seems like the winner of Max Holloway vs. Charles Oliveira won’t just hold a BMF strap; they’ll be staring directly at lightweight gold. Now, with the fighter from the favelas being aware of the stakes, it would be interesting to see if he manages to get his revenge and earn a title shot all in one night.