Gaethje destroys Topuria and reignites the lightweight title race

Justin Gaethje won the 155-pound title earlier this month in Washington, D.C., dismantling Ilia Topuria in the main event of UFC White House. The victory reopened the title race in the division – and Charles Oliveira wants to be the next to step into the octagon.

Oliveira wants the rematch – and two belts on the line

“Do Bronx” doesn’t hide his ambition. The current BMF champion after beating Max Holloway at UFC 326 last March, the Brazilian had already made it clear that he was waiting for the outcome of the Washington event before mapping out his next steps. Now that the picture is clear, he wants it all at once.

“The champion is Justin Gaethje, and I definitely want that fight. There’s nothing better than putting both belts on the line, the BMF title and the lightweight title,” Oliveira said.

The rivalry has history. The Parana native submitted Gaethje in the first round of UFC 274, in May 2022, when he still reigned over the 155-pound division. It has been three years waiting for a second chapter – and Oliveira seems willing to collect on that meeting.

Complicated queue: Tsarukyan could jump the line

“Do Bronx’s” bid faces a considerable obstacle. The loss to Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 300 puts the Russian ahead in the line of contenders. “Ahalkalakets” represents a fresh option for Gaethje – and for the public, who has not yet seen that matchup.

There’s 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 doesn’t ignore the obstacles, but he doesn’t back down either. “I’m waiting for the phone to ring. They know how much is at stake in this fight. There’s everything that happened at the weigh-in, the fact that I fought at his home and that my belt was taken from me there,” said the Brazilian, who lost the lightweight title due to missing weight in 2022, precisely at UFC 274.

In the end, much will depend on how the UFC sees Tsarukyan now. If the Armenian has not yet fully regained the organization’s confidence, the path could open up for Oliveira. The dispute for both belts, with the history this rivalry carries, would be an easy product to sell. Gaethje knows it. “Do Bronx” knows it too.