Charles Oliveira knew he was coming into enemy territory when he agreed to fight Islam Makhachev in Abu Dhabi. Now he’s getting some real-world experience in what that’s all about during the UFC 280 open workouts.<\/p>\n
Oliveira arrived at Yas Mall<\/a> with his teammates to run through some Brazilian jiu jitsu training for the crowd of assembled fans. But from the moment the champion without a belt stepped onto the stage, the crowd erupted in boos. And not just a few. A solid portion of the crowd jeered at ‘Do Bronx’ for several sustained minutes, which seemed to throw off Oliveira’s typically cheerful vibes.<\/p>\n https:\/\/twitter.com\/LaSueur_off\/status\/1582746710736240641<\/p>\n This isn’t the first time Oliveira has fought in hostile territory. His last fight was in opponent Justin Gaethje’s home state, just an hour down the road from Justin’s hometown. But while Oliveira may still suspect the Arizona commission screwed him out of his belt,<\/a> at least the folks in Phoenix were nice to him.<\/p>\n Fight Island is no longer a self-contained sealed off pandemic bubble, but fighters are still largely separated from the general public in the UFC’s athlete hotel. This may have been Charles Oliveira’s first taste of the UAE’s public sentiment towards him since he landed in the country. And they were very clearly and vocally pro-Islam Makhachev.<\/p>\n