When Charles Oliveira decided to take on Islam Makhachev in Abu Dhabi, he was aware that he was entering hostile terrain. At the UFC 280 open workouts, he is already experiencing what that entails.
To demonstrate Brazilian jiu jitsu techniques to the collected spectators, Oliveira traveled to Yas Mall with his colleagues. But as soon as the champion entered the stage, jeers erupted from the audience. Not just a few, either. The majority of the audience booed Oliveira for minutes straight, which appeared to detract from Oliveira’s usually upbeat energy.
Oliveira has engaged in combat in hostile terrain before. His most recent bout occurred in the state of his opponent, Justin Gaethje.
Abu Dhabi keeps athletes substantially separated from the general population in its athlete hotel. However, the crowd was outspokenly in favor of Islam Makhachev.
Oliveira was fortunate to have the backing of his teammates, who did a terrific job of cheering their man on after the jeers stopped and brightening the situation. After the practice, Oliveira said he intended to conduct a brief Q&A session.
He said, “I’m 100%, I was born for this. I was chosen, I’m enlightened. I know you guys are going to be rooting for him, but I’m gonna knock out Islam Makhachev in the first round.”
Naturally, additional boos followed that.
However, not all of it was hostile. Charles Oliveira turned 33 on October 17th, and the Q&A host boldly asked the audience to sing happy birthday to him. The majority of them agreed while some of the ardent fans booed him.