Justin Gaethje captured the 155-pound strap by destroying Ilia Topuria atop the UFC White House fight card earlier this month in Washington, DC. “The Highlight’s” victory opened the door for several lightweight contenders, including former division titleholder Charles Oliveira.
Oliveira, the current “BMF” champion after defeating longtime rival Max Holloway at UFC 326 last March, holds a first-round submission victory over Gaethje from UFC 274, which came back in May 2022 when “Do Bronxs” was still
king of the lightweight mountain.
“I made it very clear that I was waiting for the White House event to be over so we could figure out what the next step was. Now we know,” Oliveira told MMA Fighting. “The champion is Justin Gaethje, and I definitely want that fight. I definitely want to be next in line. And there’s nothing better than putting both belts on the line, the BMF title and the lightweight championship.”
That would require matchmakers to skip this “shocked” contender.
“I’m just waiting for a phone call,” Oliveira said. “They know there’s a lot at stake in this fight. There’s everything that happened with the weigh-in, the fact that I fought in his backyard and that my belt was taken from me there. There’s a lot of history behind this matchup. I have a lot of respect for him, just like I respect every opponent, but this fight has to happen. Like I posted, I’m just waiting for my phone to ring.”
Losing to Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 300 may put the Brazilian behind “Ahalkalakets” in the 155-pound title race. It’s also worth noting that Oliveira was knocked out by Topuria at UFC 317 last June and Tsarukyan presents a fresh matchup for both Gaethje and the fans.
It may depend on whether or not Arman is finally out of the doghouse.
