‘I’m Dying To Fight’

What’s next for Oliveira? Not even ‘Do Bronx’ knows, but he’s itching to get back to fighting as soon as possible.

Charles Oliveira is still waiting to hear when he’ll strap on his gloves and step back into the Octagon.

“Do Bronx” hasn’t fought since UFC 300 in April of 2024, where he lost a close split decision to Arman Tsarukyan. The former Brazilian lightweight champion wasn’t too banged up from that fight, and you’d think the promotion would turn him around quickly given he’s one of their big stars and in the prime of his career.

But you’d think wrong, because Charles remains on the sidelines, waiting for news of his next fight.

“Family, I’m dying to fight and I know you all want to see me fight,” Oliveira wrote in a recent Instagram post. “I’m hoping my fight will be coming soon and I’m counting on all of you to support me. I’m doing my part by training. Soon the lightweight lion is going to hunt!”

Oliveira has a lot of options these days now that he’s seemingly out of the 155 pound title picture. Dan Hooker has claimed the UFC spoke about matching them up, but we all know “The Hangman” will say anything these days to try and gain traction for a big fight. Oliveira himself has said a fight with former featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski would be fun, and a rematch against Justin Gaethje is right there as well.

Three weeks ago, the Brazilian lightweight responded to queries regarding his future with a non answer.

“Can’t provide any [fight news] now, my brother,” he said when a fan asked him what was next on X (formerly Twitter).

If he doesn’t get something booked up soon, there may not be anything to announce before 2025. Cards for the remainder of the year are filling up fast and the soonest we’d expect to see “Do Bronx” at this point would be November for Madison Square Garden, or perhaps he’ll end up on the December Las Vegas card which is still penciled in for Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler.

If the UFC pulls McGregor like they’ve been hinting at, Islam Makhachev may be the man who steps in. Arman Tsarukyan recently said he wouldn’t be doing an anti-bullying PSA to reduce an NSAC suspension for punching a fan, but we wonder if he’s done the math on that decision. It would leave him uncleared for competition til January, possibly opening the door for Oliveira to slide back into a title shot.

Who do you want to see Charles Oliveira fight next, Maniacs? Let us know in the comments below!