Charles Oliveira stands as one of the longest-serving fighters in the UFC. Competing in Dana White’s promotion for well over a decade, ‘Do Bronx’ has fought 35 times inside the Octagon and eventually captured the lightweight championship. But while the Brazilian built a legendary career, his challenges did not exist only inside the cage. Outside of it, Oliveira also had to deal with a severe eye injury.

On March 7, the former 155-lb kingpin will return to face fellow legend Max Holloway in a rematch at the UFC 326 main event, more than 11 years after their first fight. Inside the T-Mobile Arena, Oliveira will look to claim the BMF title as he battles for ‘Blessed’s symbol of violence belt. But before fans witness this outstanding showdown, let’s take a look at Charles Oliveira’s history of dealing with an eye injury, its effect on his career, and how he managed to overcome it. 

What Is Charles Oliveira’s Eye Problem? Did He Undergo Eye Surgery? 

For the unversed, Charles Oliveira once suffered from severe vision impairment and used to see three opponents at the same time. But while many believe the former lightweight champion’s decade of grueling wars caused the issue, the root of the problem actually traces back to his childhood. 

Growing up in the favelas of Brazil,  Oliveira suffered from an inflammatory disease called rheumatic fever when he was just 7 years old. According to his mother, Ozana, the UFC legend lived in constant pain and had to endure it on a daily basis. However, pain was not the only hardship the illness brought into Oliveira’s life. In severe cases, rheumatic fever can restrict blood flow in the retinal artery, and that ended up happening to a young ‘Do Bronxs’, ultimately affecting his vision and his ability to walk. 

At that time, Oliveira’s family tried their best to support him medically, but doctors delivered a harsh verdict, saying he would not be able to walk. Still, the São Paulo native proved them wrong by taking slow but determined steps forward. However, the problem with his vision remained, as he continued to see a single person appear multiplied for a long time and used glasses to prevent it, even during his UFC run. 

“I see three [faces]. If I hit the middle one, that’s fine. I think keep this same technique.” Oliveira told the Flow podcast, four years ago, “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 it’s no joke.  If I take my glasses off, I only see 50 percent, but it has never hindered me in a fight. 

Now, as ‘Do Bronx’ explained the problems with his vision, it’s highly surprising that he managed to tear through so many opponents across two weight classes. Moreover, the Brazilian superstar actually underwent eye surgery quite late in his career, finally getting the procedure done before fighting Islam Makhachev at UFC 280. The result? Oliveira revealed that the change was remarkable. 

Following the surgery, the former 155-lb king stated that he could see everything clearly and that the vision impairment was finally gone. He stepped into the Octagon against the Dagestani icon in Abu Dhabi with corrected eyesight and ended up losing via submission. Still, even though he lost the bout, the 36-year-old never blamed the defeat on the surgery or his past eye problems.

That said, considering how long Charles Oliveira dealt with the vision issue before getting surgery, did it actually affect his career at some point?

How Did the Eye Injury Affect Charles Oliveira’s UFC Career?  

As we now know, Oliveira has dealt with eye problems since childhood and spent most of his career fighting through them. But very surprisingly, the Brazilian star never withdrew from a single fight, citing his vision issues. However, when it comes to other reasons, especially severe injuries, which have been the 155-lb star’s biggest nemesis.

In recent memory, after losing to Islam Makhachev at UFC 280, ‘Do Bronx’ was scheduled to face Beneil Dariush at UFC 288. It was one of those fights that could have firmly placed Oliveira back in the title picture. Yet, the former champ unfortunately had to withdraw because of an injury, which prompted the UFC to move the fight to UFC 289, where he viciously knocked out ‘Benny’ in the first round.

With that stellar victory in the bag, the Brazilian star was again set to rematch Makhachev at UFC 294. But once again, he suffered a nasty cut over his eyebrow that sidelined him from the title fight, and Alexander Volkanovski ended up stepping in on short notice to replace him. 

Now that it’s clear Charles Oliveira’s vision problems did not cause him to withdraw from fights, one question remains: has he finally recovered fully from the issue? Let’s find out.  

Is Charles Oliveira’s Vision Fully Recovered Now?  

Coming to the present status of Charles Oliveira’s eyes, there appear to be no major complications. The former lightweight champion has not revealed undergoing any additional major surgery since going under the doctor’s knife before his fight against Islam Makhachev at UFC 280. Apart from that, his recent performances have also shown that his vision is effective.

At the UFC Rio Fight Night event last year, Oliveira delivered a record-breaking performance in front of his home crowd, submitting accomplished grappler Mateusz Gamrot with a rear-naked choke. Could someone pull that off with severely impaired vision? Aside from Michael Bisping, who literally shocked the world by winning the middleweight belt with one eye, it is hard to imagine many fighters doing that.

That said, what do you think about Charles Oliveira’s journey of dealing with a serious eye injury throughout his life and career? Let us know in the comments section below.