Charles Oliveira will put his BMF title on the line at UFC 335 against fellow Brazilian Diego Lopes, who looks to make a splash in his move up to lightweight.
Oliveira (37-11 MMA, 25-11 UFC) seeks his first defense of the unique belt in the main event of the Dec. 12 card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (Paramount+) against fellow fan-favorite and finishing artist Lopes (28-8 MMA, 7-3 UFC).
The promotion announced the BMF title matchup Saturday during the UFC 332 broadcast.
Oliveira, 36, took the BMF title from Max Holloway by unanimous decision in March's UFC 326 rematch. "Do Bronx," who is the UFC's all-time leader in finishes, submission and bonuses, was expected to rematch Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 331 in September, but was unable to compete on the date
after his friend and teammate Allan Nascimento tragically died.
Lopes, 31, will attempt to get his hands on a belt for the first time under the UFC banner following two featherweight title losses to Alexander Volkanovski. Following his failed second chance at gold in January, Lopes rebounded with a second-round TKO of Steve Garcia at UFC Freedom 250 in June.
The latest UFC 335 lineup includes:
- Charles Oliveira vs. Diego Lopes – for BMF title
- Sergei Pavlovich vs. Alex Pereira
- Bo Nickal vs. Joe Pyfer
- Charles Johnson vs. Brandon Moreno
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: BMF is back: Charles Oliveira defends vs. Diego Lopes at UFC 335
