Exclusive: Diego Lima reveals Charles do Bronx's plan to use the crowd to his advantage for a triumphant return at UFC Rio

Charles and Diego Lima attend a UFC event. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram/charlesdobronxs

Charles of the Bronx was right to choose UFC Rio, held last Saturday (11), as the stage for his return to the octagon. The Brazilian finished Mateusz gamrot in the second round and recovered from the brutal knockout he suffered to Ilia Topuria No. UFC 317. Despite criticism for his quick return, Diego Lima, leader of the Chute Boxe team, guarantees that it was all part of the former champion's plan.

In an exclusive interview with SUPER LUTAS, Diego Lima revealed that his motivation Charles of the Bronx to fight at UFC Rio came from the messages of support he received from fans after his loss to Ilia Topuria. According to the coach, the former champion believed he would be unbeatable in front of the Brazilian fans.

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"After that result, what motivated Charles were the messages of affection, love, and respect. As soon as the UFC announced it, he said, 'Lima, I need to fight for my people, I need to fight for Brazil.' We sat down, talked, and he said, 'No one will stop me in Brazil with that energy. It won't just be me fighting; it will be millions of people all at once in front of Fiziev (his original opponent).' So it was beautiful, it was perfect, it was God's will," said Diego Lima.

Diego Lima highlighted that the decision to Charles of the Bronx to fight in Brazil was driven by the passion of the public, stating that, even with criticism, the objective was always to repay the affection of Brazilian fans.

"When he chose to fight in Brazil, we already knew it would be exciting, we knew it would be huge. Many people criticized it for being a Fight Night, for being so recent since his last fight, but we know that what we do is for Brazil, for these wonderful people who welcome and embrace us," said the coach.

With the victory over Mateusz gamrot at UFC Rio, Charles of the Bronx reached 36 career wins and extended his record as the greatest finisher in UFC history with 17 submission victories. Furthermore, the Brazilian also holds the record for most stoppages in the event's history, now totaling 21 quick wins.

After a big win at UFC Rio, Diego Lima spoke exclusively to SUPER LUTAS about his analysis of Charles of the Bronx and recalled the confidence he had on the eve of the event when he watched his pupil with blood in his eyes pic.twitter.com/XJOL6bGVuy

— SUPER FIGHTS (@superlutas) October 13, 2025