Charles Oliveira plans to return soon, targeting Gaethje or Lopes

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SAO PAULO — Charles Oliveira has “absolutely nothing scheduled” right now in the UFC in terms of a next fight and hasn’t started discussions with the UFC brass, his manager and head coach Diego Lima told MMA Fighting. However, that doesn’t mean he’s not planning to fight soon. The former UFC lightweight champion and current BMF titleholder has just returned to training after the death of his longtime friend and teammate Allan Nascimento earlier this month, and his goal is to fight before the end of 2026. The most logical next step would be competing on the November or December numbered shows in New York and Las Vegas, respectively, but it’s still up in the air. “He doesn’t want to be inactive for too long,” Lima said. “Obviously, if they tell us that a title shot in April is guaranteed, then of course we’ll wait. But he wants to work, so I believe that maybe in about 15 days we’ll start some negotiations.” Oliveira wants to face Justin Gaethje for the 155-pound championship next, having beat the current champion in Arizona back in 2022, but “Highlight” isn’t expected to defend his title again in 2026 before defeating Paddy Pimblett and Ilia Topuria earlier this year. If “do Bronx” decides to enter the octagon in the coming months, Lima has ideas for opponents. “Arman [Tsarukyan], regardless of the outcome [of his UFC 331 clash with Mauricio Ruffy], is a strong name, so he’s a very interesting option,” Lima said. “Diego Lopes is moving up [now], but he’s a guy who has fought for the title twice, he’s a guy who sells well, he’s explosive, so he would be an exceptional name in the division. Why not? ‘Oh, but it doesn’t make sense, it would be his first fight in the division?’ Man, you have to understand that these are fights that take us somewhere. There’s no point in thinking about fighting a guy who is very important, but doesn’t sell and doesn’t take us anywhere. “Arman is an interesting name. Lopes, why not? He’s interesting too. He’s moving up, he’s fought for the title twice. He’s an aggressive fighter. He’s definitely going to sell. At the same time, we want the title. That’s our ultimate goal. The title. We’ll wait. Otherwise, we want to work. And some fights pay more, some fights pay less. We weigh everything up.” Lima said it’s yet-to-be-decided if Oliveira’s BMF belt will be on the line the next time he enters the octagon, and the deciding factor is the opponent. “Charles’ next fight won’t necessarily be for the BMF title,” Lima said. “There are two paths: either we fight for the BMF title, which is a negotiation and a matter of the purse, or we take the fight that perhaps we need to take to get to the title shot.” Lima names Gaethje, Lopes and Pimblett worthy of a BMF title bouts, mentioning a “perfect” scenario where “Do Bronx” clashes with Gaethje for the BMF, lightweight and White House belts. How about Tsarukyan? “I’m not going to tell you that Arman doesn’t sell because that’s not what I mean, but to fight for the BMF title, the athlete has to have a very strong media appeal,” Lima said. “The BMF isn’t about being the toughest guy, it’s about having major media appeal. That’s the reality. If we take an athlete who has a huge media following, then the fight is for the BMF title. If there isn’t that kind of media appeal, then it’s not for the BMF title.” Tsarukyan vs. Ruffy at UFC 331 was a fight that caught fans by surprise for the Sept. 19 show in Los Angeles, while many expected Oliveira to be rematching Tsarukyan instead. However, Lima said that was never negotiated with the UFC. Tsarukyan won a close split decision against Oliveira at UFC 300 in April 2024, but the Chute Boxe leader still thinks he has more “appeal” for a fight with Gaethje after beating Max Holloway and Mateusz Gamrot in his most recent appearances. “In my opinion, and I think it’s the public’s opinion as well, Charles has a history with Gaethje, so he would be the more marketable name,” Lima said. “We know that, financially speaking, he’s the best name for Gaethje to fight. But we also know that Arman is up there. Those would perhaps be the two names where a fight between them would guarantee a title shot, for example.”