Andy Ogle vs Charles Oliveira

Revgear athlete Andy 'The little axe' Ogle takes on Charles 'Do Bronx' Oliveira this weekend at UFC Fight Night 36 in Santa Catarina, Brazil. Andy is a long-time veteran on UK shores who is now attempting to make an impact in the UFC's featherweight division. Whilst he has admittedly been given difficult fights, Andy is no stranger to adversity and his ability to grind and his intense attitude towards training are second to none. As Dana white famously said, "There are no easy fights in the UFC." Ogle is not complaining. In his own words, writing for us via his blog visible here: "we embrace the hardness of our work. We constantly joke about pain and also trying to be the manliest in the gym, in a joking fashion. We do this because we aim to look at it as a positive and the best way to embrace hardships in the gym and keep on going is with a smile on your face. This is a tough sport like I've said already." Andy is ready for the challenge ahead and makes no qualms about his ability to grind on through hardship and triumph over adversity. In reality the dream is just around the corner for the North-East born fighter. Hailing from Tynemouth, Andy will have to work his tight wrestling and grappling game to stifle Oliveira's exceptional jiu-jitsu skills. Oliveira is a 16-4 wrecking machine that has only really experienced losses to high level competition. Ogle meanwhile has struggled somewhat in the UFC, defeating Josh Grispi but losing to both Akira Corrisani (In a very controversial decision) and Cole Miller. Records not withstanding, Ogle will be looking for pressure, which is his key to winning the bout. Oliveira is a 'killer' in that he finishes fights in brutal fashion whenever he smells blood. Ogle, however, is more of a grinder and will need to take the fight to the ground and stay alert to defend against Oliveira's excellent BJJ skills. The Geordie boy is no stranger to fending off submissions though, considering he trains with Team Kaobon, home of Paul Sass. Ultimately this is going to be Andy's toughest fight. He is far away from home fighting a Brazilian in the heart of the country, where all the support is going to be for 'Do Bronx.' However, as he himself admits, he is not afraid of a challenge and he is happy to embrace the adversity so long as it gets him closer to his goal. "This leads me to believe that with all the internet/professional athlete accessibility that I am still just your average guy trying to live my dream. <...> I am living my dream and I have the biggest smile on my face. I have the best team mates possible and I am showing what a Geordie boy with pure grit and determination can achieve if he puts his mind to it." On Saturday night, Andy Ogle will be taking on Charles Oliveira in the biggest fight of his life thus far. Underdog though he may be, the grit and determination of the young Geordie fighter can never be counted out. Preview's can't be biased, so all we will say is "Good luck from Fightstore!" Check out Andy's blog posts from his own point of view http://www.fightstorepro.com/blog/2014/01/29/andy-ogle-embrace-grind/ http://www.fightstorepro.com/blog/2014/01/08/andy-ogle-highs-lows-climb-full-post/ Written by Craig Thomas Boyle