Charles Oliveira’s Coach: ‘We Are Feeling Pretty Much at Home’ in Abu Dhabi

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship champion Charles Oliveira has touched down in the Middle East and received a hero’s welcome.

In order to get adapted to Abu Dhabi’s hot climate and recover from any jet lag, Oliveira arrived to the United Arab Emirates with 10 team members, 10 days before his UFC 280 collision with Islam Makhachev. Fighting for his old title, Oliveira made sure to leave enough time in his schedule to get acclimated with the environment, in a locale of Abu Dhabi in which he has never competed. Oliveira’s coach, Diego Lima, spoke to Sherdog on Friday about how “Do Bronx” is handling the final stage of his training camp.

“We did the best we could to get Charles 100% adapted to the time zone and climate,” Lima explained. “Since we arrived, we are doing [one] training [session] in the morning and another at night, just like we do in Brazil.”

According to the Chute Boxe head, what impressed him the most about the area is the positive atmosphere in Abu Dhabi.

“When [the] UFC announced the location of the event, we came prepared to fight in a totally hostile territory, not only for the Islamic culture but also because Russia is much closer to here than Brazil, but that's not what we are finding in the streets here,” the coach explained. “In shopping malls, Mosques, public markets, everywhere we go, people are totally supporting Charles. Everybody comes to take pictures with him, saying he is the real champion. Another important point is that, besides having hundreds of Brazilian [jiu-jitsu] black belts here, jiu-jitsu is also part of local culture [as] it’s taught in schools and even in [the]military. So, we are feeling pretty much at home.”

A lingering question that still comes up every so often ahead of this matchup between submission artist and wrestler is that most expect the Javier Mendes-trained Makhachev will take Oliveira down early and often. The coach cannot escape inquiries about this very topic, and he wanted to put it to rest with a little over a week before the fight.

“Of course, [Mendes] needs to believe and praise his athlete as well as I do,” Lima analyzed. “The same way he believes Islam can take Charles down, whenever he wants, I must believe that Charles will knock him out, as I do believe [he will do in the first or second] rounds. If the trainer [doesn’t] believe in his fighter, who will?”

The head of the vaunted Chute Boxe academy can never remain focused entirely on one athlete, with a team as storied and large as the one he runs. Current flyweight king Deiveson Figueiredo, an ex-Chute Boxe fighter, recently declared that he plans on taking his fight camp in Belem rather than Sao Paulo in Brazil. This did not leave a sour taste in Lima’s mouth, and he wanted to make sure that the 125-pound king would always be welcome in his ranks, training alongside the likes of Oliveira.

“Everybody loved Deiveson in Chute Boxe. He rented an apartment for one year in Sao Paulo close to our academy, but unfortunately, his wife and child did not adapt to Sao Paulo in winter time. I always say that the most important thing for a fighter to bring his best is being happy. I told him the Chute Boxe doors are totally open to him. If he wants to stay with us the last months of his camp, he is totally welcome,” Lima concluded.