Charles Oliveira Reacts To UFC 210 Suspension
There were plenty of ultra-strange goings on in the days leading up to and during last Saturday’s (April 8, 2017) UFC 210 from the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York, but it didn’t seem like lightweight Charles Oliveira’s celebration following his submission over Will Brooks was going to be among them.
However, that was just the case when word arrived yesterday that Oliveira had been suspended for approximately two months for jumping onto the cage in the seconds after his first-round win.
Although the suspension probably won’t affect the turnaround for his next match, Oliveira was disappointed about the situation while addressing it to MMA Junkie, adding that he only jumped over it for a brief amount of time:
“I was super sad, actually. After a fight like that, of how it unfolded and how I won – and, man, I jumped there. It was a matter of fraction of seconds. I jumped and got right back in, practically.
“I jumped right next to the cage door, just to hug my cornerpeople and got back in, and the guys issued a punishment. I think there was no need for that. But what are you going to do? It happens.”
Oliveira’s excitement at beating former Bellator champion Brooks was understandable, even more so because it snapped a downward-spiraling 1-3 run where Oliveira also missed weight for the alarming third and fourth times in his UFC run. The state of New York has proven to put up with no nonsense – or in some cases, nonsense – in their still-developing style of regulating MMA after fighting was only legalized there last year.
That includes suspending fighters for celebrating by jumping on the cage, which they did to Yoel Romero at UFC 205 and now Oliveira. ‘Do Bronx’ chalked it up to a lesson learned and shifted his focus towards moving his career forward:
“It’s something new to learn: not to jump out of the cage, regardless of it being quick, or just a little bit,” Oliveira said. “It’s not going to interfere in anything, hopefully.
“God knows all things, as it’s always been in my life. But I’m ready. When the UFC wants me to fight, I’ll be ready.”
