Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will once again venture away from the familiarity of its APEX facility and ship its cast and crew across the world for the upcoming UFC Rio fight card, locked and loaded for tomorrow night (Sat., Oct. 11, 2025) from inside Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, featuring a 155-pound headliner between former lightweight champion, Charles Oliveira
, and No. 8-ranked contender, Mateusz Gamrot.Like most “Fight Night” cards, you’ll need a subscription to ESPN+ to stream
this weekend’s event (sign up here).
Before we dive into the main and co-main event, which includes the 135-pound showdown between former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo and red-hot bantamweight contender Montel Jackson, check out Andrew Richardson’s “X-Factor” breakdown for the rest of the UFC Rio main card by clicking here. Get all the latest “Oliveira vs. Gamrot” odds and betting props courtesy of FanDuel right here.
Let’s get down to business.
155 lbs.: Charles Oliveira vs. Mateusz Gamrot
Charles “Do Bronx” Oliveira
Record: 35-11, 1 NC | Age: 35 | Betting line: -105
Wins: 10 KO/TKO, 21 SUB, 4 DEC | Losses: 5 KO/TKO, 4 SUB, 2 DEC
Height: 5’10” | Reach: 74” | Stance: Orthodox
Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 3.41 | Striking accuracy: 55%
Strikes Absorbed Per Minute: 3.26 | Striking Defense: 48%
Takedown Average: 2.23 (39% accuracy) | Takedown Defense: 56%
Current Ranking: No. 3 | Last fight: Knockout loss to Ilia Topuria
Mateusz “Gamer” Gamrot
Record: 25-3, 1 NC | Age: 34 | Betting line: -120
Wins: 8 KO/TKO, 5 SUB, 12 DEC | Losses: 0 KO/TKO, 0 SUB, 3 DEC
Height: 5’10” | Reach: 70” | Stance: Southpaw
Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 3.35 | Striking accuracy: 51%
Strikes Absorbed Per Minute: 3.04 | Striking Defense: 59%
Takedown Average: 5.33 (36% accuracy) | Takedown Defense: 90%
Current Ranking: No. 8 | Last fight: Unanimous decision win over Ludovit Klein
Charles Oliveira was supposed to fight Rafael Fiziev atop this weekend’s UFC Rio fight card and that felt like the kind of matchup that put “Do Bronx” in the driver’s seat. Then “Ataman” got hurt and bailed on the bout, forcing matchmakers to scramble for a new opponent; which was not an easy task, according to Oliveira. In fact, the only lightweight to accept the short-notice fight was Polish powerhouse Mateusz Gamrot, forcing “Do Bronx” to do some second guessing of his own. Probably because Gamrot is a formidable wrestler who averages more than five takedowns per fight and holds victories over the likes of No. 2-ranked Arman Tsarukyan and former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos, among others.
“It’s been a long time since I felt such strong butterflies in my stomach,” Oliveira told UFC.com. “Being able to fight in Brazil again after so long is fantastic. My last time here was during the pandemic, with no crowd. Now, with the hype and the fans watching me up close, that motivates me a lot. I’m happy, focused, and that energy pushes me every single day. To return as the main event, at this stage of my career, with this kind of hype, it’s going to feel special, no doubt. I don’t even want to think too much about it because I get emotional already. On fight night, it’s going to be something magical. So many people cheering, shouting, vibing. I think it’ll be something the UFC has never seen in Brazil.”
Gamrot is 8-3 under the UFC banner and sports five post-fight performance bonuses, including three “Fight of the Night” honors. He’s far more dangerous than his No. 8 ranking would suggest and a tall hurdle to clear for Oliveira when you consider how easily Oliveira was taken down in losing efforts to other powerhouse wrestlers like Islam Makhachev and the aforementioned Tsarukyan. The counter to that threat is the Brazilian’s perilous ground game, good enough for 16 wins by submission — a UFC record. Gamrot has never been finished in 29 professional fights but then again, he’s never faced a prolific finisher like Oliveira, who also holds the promotion’s record for stoppages at 20 (and counting).
“He tapped like almost nine times in the UFC,” Gamrot told MMA Junkie. “So, I see holes on the ground, and I always represent wrestling style in the cage. So, it’s gonna be fireworks from the beginning, high pace, and I really can’t wait to exchange submissions with him. Long time I try to get a fight with him because (he’s) one of the greatest, one of the most dangerous guys on the planet. This was my dream, when I signed contract with the UFC. I want to challenge with the guys like Charles Oliveira or the biggest names. So, (I’m) more than ready. Super excited. This is going to be a great show.”
Gamrot only has one finish over the last four years and that came against Fiziev when “Ataman” blew out his knee. In addition, “Gamer” has two decision losses during that span against Dan Hooker and Beneil Dariush, two fighters ranked below Oliveira in the official lightweight rankings (Oliveira finished Dariush at UFC 289). It’s not outrageous to suggest that “Do Bronx” — who has never lost a fight in Brazil — could do enough damage on the feet to sway the judges, particularly if he manages to keep Gamrot stymied in guard. I’m just not sure Oliveira can pull it off against a tireless takedown machine who is equally effective in Round 5 as he is in Round 1.
Prediction: Gamrot def. Oliveira by decision
135 lbs.: Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Montel Jackson
Deiveson “Daico” Figueiredo
Record: 24-5-1 | Age: 37 | Betting line: +235
Wins: 9 KO/TKO, 9 SUB, 6 DEC | Losses: 2 KO/TKO, 1 SUB, 1 DEC
Height: 5’5” | Reach: 68” | Stance: Orthodox
Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 2.82 | Striking accuracy: 54%
Strikes Absorbed Per Minute: 3.64 | Striking Defense: 49%
Takedown Average: 1.69 (35% accuracy) | Takedown Defense: 58%
Current Ranking: No. 6 | Last fight: Technical knockout loss to Cory Sandhagen
Montel “Quik” Jackson
Record: 15-2 | Age: 33 | Betting line: -290
Wins: 8 KO/TKO, 1 SUB, 6 DEC | Losses: 0 KO/TKO, 0 SUB, 2 DEC
Height: 5’10” | Reach: 75” | Stance: Southpaw
Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 3.22 | Striking accuracy: 53%
Strikes Absorbed Per Minute: 1.39 | Striking Defense: 62%
Takedown Average: 3.24 (62% accuracy) | Takedown Defense: 68%
Current Ranking: No. 15 | Last fight: Unanimous decision win over Daniel Marcos
Deiveson Figueiredo was too fat for flyweight and is now too small for bantamweight. In addition, the former 125-pound titleholder turns 38 in December, which is probably why he’s such a big underdog for this weekend’s co-main event against Montel Jackson. “Quik” — a nickname that hearkens back to the days of pink milk — will enter the cage with a five-inch advantage in height and seven-inch advantage in reach. Jackson also averages more than three takedowns per fight and should have little trouble grounding the much smaller Figueiredo, whose shoddy takedown defense dates back to his days at flyweight. At the same time, I don’t want to turn this into a eulogy for the hard-hitting “Daico,” who did score decision victories over grizzled bantamweight veterans Rob Font and Marlon Vera.
“I always tell myself that whenever I lose it’s because I made some mistake in my life,” Figueiredo told MMA Fighting. “Between the Petr Yan and Cory fights, I made some mistakes. Against Cory, I came in dealing with serious injuries, and even so I still fought and didn’t let the fight get cancelled. Now, on Saturday, I want to go in 100 percent, show what I’m capable of and get that win. And of course, I’ll definitely ask for a title shot — especially because, among the big names in the division, I’m the only one who hasn’t fought Merab (Dvalishvili) yet. I hope I get that opportunity. If I go in there and deliver a great performance, that could get me a title shot. That’s what I’m after.”
Jackson cut his teeth on Season 2 of Dana White’s “Contender Series” back in June 2018 and stumbled out of the gate, losing his Octagon debut to Ricky Simon at UFC 227. That was followed by a three-fight win streak before coming up short against the venerable Brett Johns at UFC Fight Island 2. That was the last time Jacks0n saw the loss column and his current six-fight win streak includes three victories by way of knockout, good enough to land the one-time King of the Cage (KOTC) combatant at No. 15 in the official bantamweight rankings. The only knock on “Quik” is that his level of competition has been mediocre, at best, and four of his last six opponents — including Julio Arce and Jesse Strader — are no longer competing for UFC.
“This is the fight we’re always looking for,” Jackson told UFC.com. “We got to continue to do what we did to get us here and we got to continue to do what we need to get us forward. You turn it up more and more as you go along. [The hostile crowd] means nothing. [The fans] can’t fight for him. I’m only fighting one person. I’ll figure [the gameplan] out at the first exchange. Usually, you see how the fight will go after the first exchange.”
Figueiredo is getting old — and certainly looked it during back-to-back losses to Petr Yan and Cory Sandhagen. At the same time, those are two of the best bantamweights on the planet, so maybe it’s too early to jump ship just yet. He’s certainly got the power and the experience to handle Jackson, who remains untested against the upper echelon of the division, I just think this is a bad matchup for Figueiredo and that “Daico” will be unable to handle the size of his younger, more athletic opponent.
Prediction: Jackson def. Figueiredo by technical knockout
Remember to catch the rest of the UFC Rio main card predictions RIGHT HERE.
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To check out the latest and greatest UFC Rio news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive here. For the updated and finalized “Oliveira vs. Gamrot” fight card and ESPN+ lineup click here.
