TLDR
- Charles Oliveira defends his BMF title against Diego Lopes at UFC 335 on December 12 in Las Vegas
- Oliveira wants UFC to determine if lightweight champion Justin Gaethje plans to retire or continue fighting
- Oliveira believes he would fight Arman Tsarukyan for vacant title if Gaethje retires after White House payday
- Diego Lopes makes lightweight debut and promises exciting standup battle unlike Oliveira’s grappling-heavy Holloway fight
- Lopes lost twice to Alexander Volkanovski in featherweight title fights earlier this year
Sources: sherdog.com | mmafighting.com | thebodylockmma.com
Charles Oliveira wants the UFC to find out if lightweight champion Justin Gaethje plans to retire before the division can move forward. Oliveira defends his BMF title against Diego Lopes at UFC 335 on December 12 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Gaethje has talked about both retirement and a possible fight with Conor McGregor since stopping Ilia Topuria in June. The title unification bout took place on the White House lawn.
Charles Oliveira is by far a better lightweight all time than Khabib, there’s genuinely even conversation for him to be above Islam imo pic.twitter.com/2I07HQFAJT
— Walnut (@WalnutMMA) October 9, 2026
“The first step is for the UFC to sit down with Gaethje and find out exactly what he plans to do,” Oliveira told Sherdog. “He says he won’t fight this year, but that he would if it were against Conor. Then he starts talking about retirement.”
Oliveira thinks Gaethje made more money fighting at the White House than he will in any future bout. He believes the historic location and glamour of the event led to bigger paydays for all fighters on the card.
“I think that, without a doubt, he is not going to make more money in his next fight than he made at the White House,” Oliveira said. “Those who were making 100 before were making 500 to fight at that card.”
Oliveira Sees Tsarukyan Rematch for Vacant Title
The former UFC lightweight champion believes he deserves the next title shot if he beats Lopes. He previously submitted Gaethje in 2022.
Oliveira acknowledged that Arman Tsarukyan also deserves a title opportunity. Tsarukyan beat Oliveira by split decision in 2024 and recently knocked out Mauricio Ruffy in the first round.
“Obviously, Arman deserves it too,” Oliveira said. “But I think the first step is for the UFC to find out whether Gaethje is retiring or continuing to fight.”
If Gaethje retires, Oliveira envisions fighting Tsarukyan for the vacant belt. If Gaethje continues fighting, Oliveira believes either he or Tsarukyan should get the title shot.
Oliveira said he understands if Gaethje chooses to walk away after 33 professional fights. He said the champion has built a great history and deserves a standing ovation either way.
“It’s him with himself, right?” Oliveira said. “It’s up to him to understand what the next step is, whether now is the time to stop and retire.”
Lopes Promises Exciting Standup Battle
Oliveira’s grappling-heavy win over Max Holloway in his last BMF title defense drew criticism from fans. UFC President Dana White also felt the fight lacked excitement.
Diego Lopes has promised a different kind of fight. The Brazilian will make his lightweight debut after spending over four years at featherweight.
“I want to get in there and throw down,” Lopes said. “Let’s see who goes down first. That’s exactly what I’m looking for.”
Lopes lost twice to Alexander Volkanovski in featherweight title fights this year. He fought Volkanovski at UFC 314 in April 2025 and again at UFC 325 in Sydney.
The 31-year-old fighter said he wants to test his body, power and speed at 155 pounds. He would only return to featherweight for a title fight or number one contender bout at 145 pounds.
Oliveira defended his approach against Holloway, saying he neutralized his opponent better than any other fighter has. He said he fights more strategically now and cares only about wins and losses on his record.
“Anyone who truly understands fighting knows that what I did to him is something no other fighter has done,” Oliveira said. “I completely neutralized his game.”
Lopes first entered the UFC at UFC 288 in May 2023, losing to Movsar Evloev on short notice. He then won five straight fights at featherweight before earning his first title shot against Volkanovski.
