Charles Oliveira has apologised to his fans after falling short in his UFC 280 title fight against Islam Makhachev.

In the main event of last Saturday night’s UFC 280 main event, Islam Makhachev submitted Charles Oliveira to become the new UFC lightweight champion. He did so in convincing fashion, bringing an end to Oliveira’s fantastic run at the top of the division.

While many will now turn to what’s next for Makhachev, others are mourning the loss of ‘Do Bronx’ as the best 155-pounder in the world.

During a statement released on social media, Oliveira had the following to say on the matter.

“Hey everyone from Brazil and the rest of the world, everyone that supported me and cheered me on,” he said. “I just wanted to pass by here to send out a message and simply apologize. I believe that everything I did in training was done right, including the weight cut, but yesterday I wasn’t able to find myself in the fight. Yesterday, Islam was better than I was in terms of timing and did an overall better fight, coming out as champion.

“I haven’t even slept yet because naturally I’ve been reflecting on everything that happened.

“Thank you, thank you so much to all the people that have sent me both positive and negative messages. The criticism is all part of this crazy sport. I’ll go home now and I’ll dedicate myself, train and conquer once again. So thank you again to everyone that texted me.

“Emotionally, I’m sad for not having done my best,” he continued. “But everyone knows about my faith and that I believe in God. I believe God has something bigger planned for me. So I’m sorry for disappointing my whole nation and everyone who believed in me winning this fight, which unfortunately didn’t happen. Thank you so, so much. I will dedicate myself and return stronger and conquer to please everyone.”

Quotes via XcellentMMA

Where does Charles Oliveira go from here in his career? Let us know in the comments, BJPENN Nation!