UFC Vegas 87: Who is Vinicius Oliveira?

The UFC has a new potential Brazilian star in debuting bantamweight Vinicius Oliveira.

Oliveira will make his UFC debut on March 2 at UFC Vegas 87 against Benardo Sopaj. He was originally slated to face French prospect Yanis Ghemmouri before Ghemmouri withdrew due to injury.

Oliveira is an exciting prospect in the UFC's 135-pound division. He is an electric striker with a well-rounded ground game that fans will love watching inside the Octagon.

Oliveira dropped jaws when he knocked out Victor Madrigal on Dana White's Contender Series in September. The one-punch knockout earned an almost immediate nod of approval from Dana White and the rest of the UFC brass.

Since a loss to Ali Taleb in July 2022, Oliveira has won back-to-back fights with both bouts ending in first-round finishes. Before attracting the attention of the UFC, he enjoyed successful stints in UAE Warriors and Future FC.

Vinicius Oliveira has a knack for wild finishes in the cage

Oliveira made a name for himself on the Brazilian regional MMA scene to begin his career. He rattled off 10 consecutive wins to begin his professional career before a loss to Cristian Quiñonez at Combate 23.

Oliveira added a world title to his résumé when he knocked out Xavier Alaoui by head kick at UAE Warriors 16. He won the UAE Warriors bantamweight title and successfully defended it against Sylvester Chipfumbu.

Oliveira, contrary to some Brazilian MMA fighters, is a standup specialist. 15 of his 19 career wins have ended in a TKO/KO, and just two of his career fights have gone the distance.

Oliveira is an all-gas, no-brakes juggernaut when he enters the cage. He rarely takes his time in reading his opponents' tendencies and has a knack for quick, wild knockouts.

If Oliveira's highlight reel is any indication, fans shouldn't blink when he enters the cage, or they might miss another jaw-dropping finish.