Charles Oliveira produced the defining win of his career when he beat Tony Ferguson in the UFC 256 co-main event at UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Oliveira (30-8 MMA, 18-8 UFC) extended his winning streak to eight consecutive fights when he beat former interim UFC titleholder Ferguson (25-5 MMA, 15-3 UFC) by unanimous decision in their lightweight co-headliner.
Oliveira attacked Ferguson with high and low kicks and charged in with combinations. Ferguson worked with his counters, but Oliveira's aggression led into a big takedown less than 90 seconds in.
Oliveira went to work from the top and put Ferguson in serious danger. In the final seconds, he badly twisted Ferguson's arm and the latter was saved by the bell, and it went on to a second round.
In the second round, Ferguson's arm appeared to be compromised, and Oliveira pushed forward with kicks and punches before securing a takedown less than a minute in.
Ferguson landed an illegal upkick from the bottom, forcing a break in the action. Oliveira, who was cut open came from an elbow just beforehand. Oliveira dominated from on top with strikes and kept him on the bottom for the remainder of the round.
Oliveira had the fight decisively in his favour and didn't relent in round three. He took Ferguson down and controlled him, attacked with submissions, and almost finished the fight.
"He's a champion. I knew he wasn't gonna tap out," Oliveira said post-fight through a translator. "I came here to make history. You tell me: Who's dominated him like that?"
This is how Twitter reacted to Oliveira's win over Ferguson at UFC 254:
With the win, Oliveira becomes the 13th fighter in UFC history to reach 18 octagon victories.
