UFC champion Charles Oliveira admits his dreadful vision is ‘only at 50 per cent’ without glasses

Charles Oliveira has revealed the shocking extent of his terrible eyesight, admitting he can only see at around 50 per cent without glasses. 

The UFC lightweight champion dispatched Dustin Poirier to defend his belt at the end of last year and his achievements are all the more remarkable given his dreadful vision. 

He joked that his sight is so bad, he sees three versions of every opponent and just tries to hit the middle one. 

The Brazilian defeated Dustin Poirier last month to retain his UFC lightweight title 

‘So I see three,’ he said to Brazilian MMA Legends. ‘If I’m hitting the middle one, it’s all right. I think, “Keep this same technique”.

‘Three guys for me is perfect. If I’m hitting the middle on it’s all right.’

Oliveira wears thick glasses outside of the octagon and often puts them on for his ring walk, making him look nothing like what people imagine one of the most dangerous men on the planet to be like. 

And despite the bad vision, he says that in the fight itself, it never causes a problem. 

He added: ‘I’ll tell you the truth: I’m a guy who has a lot of faith in God and it’s no joke.

Oliveira wears thick glasses wherever he goes but does not use contact lenses in the cage

‘If I take off my glasses, I can only see [at about] 50 per cent. But it never hindered me in the fight. It never hindered me in the fight.

‘Sometimes I walk in without the glasses, sometimes I walk in with the glasses. It depends on my vibe.’

Oliveira went on: ‘Sometimes I like to walk in with the glasses to look harmless and more nerdy than I already am.

‘And when I take off my glasses, it’s normal. I can see the opponent on the other side.

‘God blesses me so much that I can see normal. But on the street, if I take it off, I’m blind.’

The submission specialist does not just wear the glasses for effect and has awful vision

Oliveira took his career to new heights by beating Michael Chandler and Poirier last year. He has spoken about how he would like to face Conor McGregor in a lucrative match-up later this year but the more likely option is No 1 contender Justin Gaethje. 

Of course Oliveira is not the first UFC champion to thrive with poor vision. 

Astonishingly, Michael Bisping found success with just one eye, having eventually lost the use of his right one after suffering a detached retina from a Vitor Belfort head kick.