No Soft Landing for Elves Brener Oliveira

The ask looks extraordinarily difficult for Elves Brener Oliveira, at least on paper.

The 25-year-old Brazilian prospect will make his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut opposite Zubaira Tukhugov as part of the UFC 284 undercard on Saturday at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. Always seemingly on the periphery of contention at 155 pounds, Tukhugov long ago established himself as one of the tougher under-the-radar outs in the lightweight division.

“Zubaira has been in the UFC for a long time,” Oliveira told Sherdog.com. “He deserves all the respect, but now it’s my turn. He has been in the promotion for some time, and he hasn’t shown great work. I’m very happy to be facing him in my debut. I understand and studied his game.”

Oliveira operates out of the Diego Lima-fronted Chute Boxe affiliate in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where he trains alongside a number of accomplished stablemates, former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira chief among them. He believes he has taken all necessary steps to prepare.

“We always train wrestling, though striking is our main focus,” Oliveira said. “I’m a jiu-jitsu guy from Amazonas. I can always rely on my grappling skills. I see myself landing strikes at a high volume. He won’t be able to stand it. He may go for a takedown, and I’m someone who can submit him or knock him out at any moment.”

Whether or not nerves become a factor for Oliveira once the rubber actually meets the road remains to be seen. For now, he chooses to focus on soaking it all in. Countless hours in the gym have paid off.

“I’m very happy to be debuting in the UFC,” he said. “I talked about this with my friends and family. They could see the happiness on my face when I spoke to them. This is something I knew would happen sooner or later. I’ve been working very hard since my teen years for this moment to come. I knew in my heart this would happen. I honestly don’t feel any stress about it. Ever since I learned about my opponent and the location of the fight, I felt ready. I’ll make things happen. I’ll arrive close to my weight limit, so I don’t have to cut too much at the last minute. Everything is going to work out.”

Oliveira enters the match on the strength of back-to-back victories. He last appeared at a Predator Fight Championship event in March, when he disposed of Victor Nunez with a first-round rear-naked choke. It was the 11th submission win of his career and moved him to 13-3. Oliveira plans make the Octagon his home for the foreseeable future.

“I’m coming to the UFC to stay,” he said. “I’ve worked my entire life for this. I’m confident we’ll put on a great show. Things will turn out in the best way possible. Nothing has ever come easy for me. I’m very happy for Diego Lima and all the great people God has put in my life. I’m happy to be representing my hometown, my state, and my country’s green and yellow flag.”