Gaethje destroys Topuria and reignites the lightweight title race
Justin Gaethje captured the 155-pound belt earlier this month in Washington, D.C., dismantling Ilia Topuria in the main event of UFC White House. The win reopened the title race in the division — and Charles Oliveira wants to be the next man in the octagon.
Oliveira wants the rematch — and two belts on the line
‘Do Bronx’ makes no secret of his ambition. The reigning BMF champion after beating Max Holloway at UFC 326 last March, the Brazilian has already made clear that he was waiting for the outcome of the Washington event before mapping out his next steps. Now that the picture is set, he wants it all at once. ‘The champion is Justin Gaethje, and I definitely want that fight. There is nothing better than putting both belts on the line, the BMF title and the lightweight belt,’ Oliveira said. The rivalry has history. The Paraná native submitted Gaethje in the first round of UFC 274, in May 2022, when he still reigned at 155 pounds. It has been three years waiting for a second chapter — and Oliveira seems willing to go through a considerable obstacle.
A complicated queue: Tsarukyan could jump the line
The loss to Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 300 puts the Russian ahead in the contenders’ queue. ‘Ahalkalakets’ represents a fresh option for Gaethje — and for the audience, who have not yet seen this matchup. There is another heavy point: Topuria finished Oliveira at UFC 317 last June. A recent knockout is not exactly the strongest argument for someone who wants the next title shot. Oliveira does not ignore the obstacles, but he does not back down either. ‘I am waiting for the phone to ring. They know how much is at stake in this fight. There is everything that happened at the weigh-in, the fact that I fought at his house and that my belt was taken from me there,’ said the Brazilian, who lost the lightweight title on the scales in 2022, precisely at UFC 274. In the end, much will depend on how the UFC views Tsarukyan now. If the Armenian has not yet fully regained the organization’s confidence, the path could open up for Oliveira. A two-belt clash, with the history behind it, would be a spectacle.
