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After winning his eighth fight straight fight on Saturday, Charles Oliveira graduated to the status of bonafide threat to the UFC lightweight championship. In related news, Tony Ferguson might've finally just lost his. 

Oliveira (30-8, 1 NC) nearly submitted Tony Ferguson (25-5) in a dominant first round and went on to dismantle one of the sport's top pound-for-pound best fighters in a unanimous decision. All three judges scored the co-main event of UFC 256, which emanated from the UFC Apex facility in Las Vegas, by a margin of 30-26 for Oliveira. 

"I was the only guy to accept this fight last minute," Oliveira said. "I knew this was going to be a really tough fight but in 2021 I am coming."

The manner in which Oliveira, 31, handed the second straight defeat to Ferguson was stunning. The native of Brazil took Ferguson down with ease and routinely worked his way into full mount. Oliveira, the UFC record holder for most submissions in promotional history with 14, nearly added another one to close Round 1 when he applied a deep arm bar that appeared to hyper extend Ferguson's left arm until he was saved by the horn. 

Although Ferguson, 36, rallied to cut Oliveira around his left eye with an elbow in Round 2, he quickly found himself on the ground and was forced to operate from a defensive position for the rest of the fight.

"[Ferguson] is the champion, he was an interim champion. I knew he wasn't going to tap out," Oliveira said. "I came in here to make history. You tell me, who has beaten him like that?"

Ferguson entered 2020 on an incredible 12-fight win streak and was badly overdue for a shot at the 155-pound title after injuries and bad luck prevented him from ever seeing a fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov come to fruition. He then saw his unbeaten run spoiled in disastrous fashion when Justin Gaethje clobbered him in May via fifth-round TKO to capture the interim title. 

Instead, UFC 256 saw Oliveira make a strong statement regarding his standing as a title contender. Nurmagomedov has stated his intention to retire and it's very possible that Oliveira meets the winner of the Jan. 23 Conor McGregor-Dustin Poirier rematch for the vacant title.

"The boss already said whoever won this fight would be in great position to fight for the belt," Oliveira said. "When Conor and Poirier fight in January, I'm going to be watching to see who I have to fight for the belt. "I have to thank God. Charles is coming. Come prepared because I am coming."

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