A video has surfaced showing Brazilian UFC star Charles Oliveira going all out during a sparring session against Arslan, a Russian chess enthusiast. The video has sparked heated discussions online, with many questioning the intent and fairness of the match.
The sparring session, as described by Arslan, seemed to have been an impromptu experience gone wrong. Arslan, better known for his skills at the chessboard than in a cage or ring, was on vacation when he decided to stop by a local gym for some light training.
But things quickly escalated when, upon hearing him speak Russian, the trainers reportedly threw him into a session with Charles Oliveira, a former UFC lightweight champion, and didn’t provide him with any protective gear.
“Why did they post my beating?” Arslan questioned in frustration after the video leaked. “I was on vacation and stopped by to train. When they heard I was speaking Russian, they put me in with Oliveira and didn’t give me any protective gear.”
Fans of both combat sports and chess took to social media, some siding with the Russian chess player, while others defended Oliveira. Critics were quick to condemn Oliveira’s actions. “He’s a hobbyist who went ‘pro’ in Russia. Hardly a legitimate professional. For them to not give him headgear and to single him out because he’s Russian shows so much fragility from Charles,” a fan said, referring to the Chutebox fighter’s handling of the situation.
Others, however, doubted the full accuracy of Arslan’s story. “So you just blindly believe one side of the story? Lmao highly unlikely it went down exactly like that,” wrote a skeptical João on Twitter. The back-and-forth highlighted a larger discussion about what exactly happened during that session, and whether Oliveira was intentionally roughing up the unprepared Russian for reasons beyond just a regular spar.
The controversy around the incident also touched upon Oliveira’s past rivalry with Islam Makhachev. Some fans speculated that this was a result of the tension following his title loss to Russian Dagestani, Islam Makhachev. One fan suggested, “Oliveira is bitter about his loss to Makhachev, and it’s well known that Chutebox dislikes Russians.”
