Charles Oliveira will face Rafael Fiziev in the main event of UFC Rio on 11 October, in an intriguing, unexpected match-up.
The fight marks Oliveira’s first contest in his native Brazil since 2020, and will see the former lightweight champion aim to bounce back from his brutal knockout by Ilia Topuria.
Oliveira, who held the lightweight title from May 2021 until May 2022, has twice failed to regain the gold since losing it due to a failed weigh-in the day before he submitted Justin Gaethje. The 35-year-old was submitted by Islam Makhachev in October 2022 and finished by Topuria in round one this June, with the vacant belt on the line both times.
Now ranked fourth at lightweight, he aims to get back to winning ways as he takes on Fiziev, who is seeded 10th and is seeking a second straight win.
The Kazakh, 32, outpointed Ignacio Bahamondes in June to snap a three-fight losing streak, having lost two close fights with Gaethje in that skid – as well as suffering an injury against Mateusz Gamrot.
Oliveira, meanwhile, was riding an 11-fight win streak across four years before he ran into the dominant Makhachev. He then knocked out Beneil Dariush, lost to Arman Tsarukyan via decision, and outpointed Michael Chandler before facing Topuria.
It was expected that Oliveira might fight Paddy Pimblett next. However, the Liverpudlian has also been linked to Topuria’s first title defence at lightweight, after the latter gave up the featherweight belt in February to move up to 155lb.
Pimblett has also been linked to a bout with Gaethje, though the American has claimed he will not fight again unless it is a third shot at the undisputed lightweight belt. Gaethje, 36, previously held the interim title, but he was submitted by Khabib Nurmagomedov while trying to unify the belts in 2020, before Oliveira submitted him in 2022. On the latter occasion, Oliveira was ineligible to win the gold due to his failed weigh-in, but Gaethje was eligible.
Tsarukyan is another possible challenger for Topuria, if the UFC indeed pairs Gaethje and Pimblett, however. The Armenian-Russian was due to challenge Makhachev for the title in January but withdrew due to injury on one day’s notice. Makhachev submitted his replacement opponent, Renato Moicano, before vacating the strap in May to move up to welterweight.
