A scale malfunction that will not allow Charles Oliveira to be called UFC lightweight champion does not make “do Bronx” any less of an inspiration for his brother Hermison Oliveira and cousin Rafael Costa, who compete Friday night at LFA 136 live on UFC Fight Pass.
Three years younger than the UFC star, Hermison makes his first walk to the LFA cage in Caraguatatuba, Sao Paulo, to battle Junior Assis. Nicknamed “do Bronx” just like his brother, he holds a 10-6 record with two no-contests, having won seven of his past eight since “getting my sh*t together” after the birth of his daughter and no longer being “lazy” in training.
Costa (13-3), their cousin from the mother side of the family, is 25. He makes his return to LFA after an eight-second KO this past March. “Rafinha” won back-to-back bouts in the opening round since coming up short in a 2019 clash with Jose Johnson at LFA 78 in Texas, and faces Wallace Lopes in a three-round bantamweight bout.
“My father says the Oliveira family is a family of fighters,” Hermison says. It’s in our blood. My brother is a world champion, my cousin and I are trying to write our own story too. Focus, training and winning are the keys to success. We guarantee the show.”
“We look up to Charles,” Costa adds. “Rest assured that we’re going to the UFC or [Dana White’s] Contender Series next. In this fight, we’ll prove the world who and what we really are. Call for your shot .”
I will win.
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Winning under the LFA banner is not just a path to maybe joining big MMA leagues next, they say. For the Guaruja talents, it’s an opportunity to become full-time professional athletes and show the kids in the area that you can be successful in life without surrendering to the temptations that exist in the favelas.
Hermison works as a barber in an improvised barber shop he set up in the garage of his grandmother’s house, work that gets him around $300 a month, and trains at night with his brother. Costa is always willing to work at any job that will allow him to earn a living, from waiting tables to constructions. At the moment, his main objective is to purchase a scooter in Guaruja and make work and life easier.
” We have no choice. There’s no alternative.” Costa said. Costa says, “I don’t have any sponsors that allow me to fight full-time.” Teaching [martial arts] doesn’t get me much money either because most of the time we don’t even charge the students in the favela. But I’m changing the way [kids] see the world [through fighting].
“I go to sleep and wake up watching [Charles Oliveira’s] fight videos. We’re not that close at the moment because his life is very busy, but he’s our biggest inspiration. Like us, he came from nowhere. In the favela, it’s hard work. Kids grow up seeing crime, and I wanna show them you can grow without it. Sport can get us to where we want. Charles is living proof that this can be done. I want to prove it too. To show my kids that you don’t have to be on the wrong side of the coin to succeed in life .”
Hermison vows to “put on a show” at LFA 136 to have “the world asking where this kid was” after he beats Junior Assis in a flyweight showdown.
” “If you take a look at my records, they’re pretty good,” he said. “I’m 10-6 and only lost one of my past eight fights. “I can’t promise I will go to UFC if I win this fight, but I do believe that I can get to the Contender [Series] to show my work.”
Costa also has big plans for his career after Friday, when he attempts to snap Wallace Lopes’ winning streak.
” My opponent is good, and it’s good for me because it motivates even more,” he said. My loss at LFA has awakened a huge part of me. In my final fight I proved it, knocking him out within eight seconds. I still want more. He’s a striker, but so am I. Although my jiu jitsu skills are sharp, I have a strong belief in my striking. I have no doubt that Wallace goes down in the first.”
