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Charles Oliveira shared an emotional message to his girlfriend and family ahead of UFC 326.
Charles Oliveira posted an emotional family portrait to Instagram ahead of his UFC 326 main event against Max Holloway on Saturday, March 7, captioning the photo simply “Família” with a red heart emoji.
The Instagram image, posted on February 26 from Sao Paulo, Brazil, shows Oliveira holding his one-year-old son Dominic alongside his girlfriend Vitoria Brum, his eight-year-old daughter Tayla and his father, Francisco Antonio. The post has received more than 128,000 likes, and Tayla’s Instagram account, @taylasoliveira, commented with three red heart emojis. Vitoria Brum re-shared the post on her own Instagram.
The family photo takes on added significance given what Oliveira told MMA Junkie during fight week: if he wins the BMF belt from Holloway tonight, he wants his father to be the one who wraps it around his waist.
“My father. The reality is if my father and my mother hadn’t believed in me and supported me, none of this would’ve ever happened. None of this would be possible. I wouldn’t be here. Having my father put the belt on me, that would be amazing.”
Previous BMF presenters include Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who wrapped the inaugural belt around Jorge Masvidal at UFC 244, and rapper Lil Wayne, who did the honors for Holloway after his UFC 318 victory over Dustin Poirier, according to Bloody Elbow. Oliveira’s choice would be far more personal than any celebrity cameo.
Charles Oliveira Has Said Fatherhood Drives His Fighting Career
The Instagram post featured all four people who represent the core of Oliveira’s motivation to keep fighting at 36.
His daughter, Tayla, was born in 2017 during his first marriage to Talita Roberta Pereira. After Tayla was born, Oliveira reeled off 11 consecutive victories, won the UFC Lightweight Championship and defended it twice before losing to Islam Makhachev at UFC 280.
His son, Dominic, was born on October 5, 2024, with girlfriend Vitoria Brum, just weeks before Oliveira’s co-main event rematch against Michael Chandler at UFC 309 in New York. In a feature story on the UFC’s website, Oliveira said Dominic was “born at the right time” and described how Brum supported him through training camp with a newborn at home.
“Vitoria is a great mother. She let me sleep, she didn’t call me,” Oliveira told UFC.com. “But I heard [Dominic] crying, I wanted to get up and carry him. I am very attached to my children, so I wanted to be close.” He added that during fight week in New York, Brum packed their son’s clothes in his suitcase so he could smell them at night. “I started to unpack, and Vitoria put his clothes with his smell, I put it next to my bed. I miss him. I’m a present father. I like to be with my children,” according to UFC.com.
Charles Oliveira’s Girlfriend, Vitoria Brum, Has Emerged as a Key Figure in His Corner
Vitoria Brum, who runs two clothing brands in Guaruja, has become more than just Oliveira’s partner. She has been a visible presence through his most difficult moments in the UFC, including his brutal weight cuts and his first-round knockout loss to Ilia Topuria at UFC 317 last June.
After Oliveira’s unanimous decision victory over Chandler at UFC 309, Brum posted an emotional Instagram tribute detailing the 30 days of pain, injury and sleepless nights that preceded the fight. She wrote: “Only those who have been with you during these last 30 days know the emotion of this victory, nothing was easy … We went through an injury and many nights of pain … [It] took your soul along with the kilos in that sauna, but even if for a moment you thought about giving up, I always knew that you could make it.”
Ahead of UFC 317, Brum appeared on the UFC Embedded series and spoke about Oliveira’s promise to win a belt for each of his children. “It’s a promise he made to Dom. Because he already won a belt for Tayla, and he’ll win another one for Dominic,” she said.
After the Topuria knockout loss, Brum’s first instruction to Oliveira was to put his phone down and not read the reactions from social media. In a later interview, Oliveira described his family as his “greatest wealth.”
Tom Cleary is the editor in chief of Heavy. Tom is based in Connecticut and started his career working in local newspapers. He has worked at Heavy as a writer and editor since 2015, including as news editor and managing editor. More about Tom Cleary
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