SAO PAULO — Charles Oliveira has “absolutely nothing scheduled†right now in the UFC in terms of a next fight and hasn't started discussions with the UFC brass, his manager and head coach Diego Lima told MMA Fighting. However, that doesn't mean he's not planning to fight soon.
MMA
Charles Oliveira’s coach names opponents worthy of BMF title fights, and why Arman Tsarukyan isn’t one
Published
3 weeks agoon
The former UFC lightweight champion and current BMF titleholder has just returned to training after the death of his longtime friend and teammate Allan Nascimento earlier this month, and his goal is to fight before the end of 2026. The most logical next step would be competing on the November or December numbered shows in New York and Las Vegas, respectively, but it's still up in the air.
“He doesn't want to be inactive for too long,†Lima said. “Obviously, if they tell us that a title shot in April is guaranteed, then of course we'll wait. But he wants to work, so I believe that maybe in about 15 days we'll start some negotiations.â€
Oliveira wants to face Justin Gaethje for the 155-pound championship next, having beat the current champion in Arizona back in 2022, but “Highlight†isn't expected to defend his title again in 2026 before defeating Paddy Pimblett and Ilia Topuria earlier this year.
If “do Bronx†decides to enter the octagon in the coming months, Lima has ideas for opponents.
“Arman [Tsarukyan], regardless of the outcome [of his UFC 331 clash with Mauricio Ruffy], is a strong name, so he's a very interesting option,†Lima said. “Diego Lopes is moving up [now], but he's a guy who has fought for the title twice, he's a guy who sells well, he's explosive, so he would be an exceptional name in the division. Why not? ‘Oh, but it doesn't make sense, it would be his first fight in the division?' Man, you have to understand that these are fights that take us somewhere. There's no point in thinking about fighting a guy who is very important, but doesn't sell and doesn't take us anywhere.
“Arman is an interesting name. Lopes, why not? He's interesting too. He's moving up, he's fought for the title twice. He's an aggressive fighter. He's definitely going to sell. At the same time, we want the title. That's our ultimate goal. The title. We'll wait. Otherwise, we want to work. And some fights pay more, some fights pay less. We weigh everything up.â€
Lima said it's yet-to-be-decided if Oliveira's BMF belt will be on the line the next time he enters the octagon, and the deciding factor is the opponent.
“Charles' next fight won't necessarily be for the BMF title,†Lima said. “There are two paths: either we fight for the BMF title, which is a negotiation and a matter of the purse, or we take the fight that perhaps we need to take to get to the title shot.â€
Lima names Gaethje, Lopes and Pimblett worthy of a BMF title bouts, mentioning a “perfect†scenario where “Do Bronx†clashes with Gaethje for the BMF, lightweight and White House belts.
“I'm not going to tell you that Arman doesn't sell because that's not what I mean, but to fight for the BMF title, the athlete has to have a very strong media appeal,†Lima said. “The BMF isn't about being the toughest guy, it's about having major media appeal. That's the reality. If we take an athlete who has a huge media following, then the fight is for the BMF title. If there isn't that kind of media appeal, then it's not for the BMF title.â€
Tsarukyan vs. Ruffy at UFC 331 was a fight that caught fans by surprise for the Sept. 19 show in Los Angeles, while many expected Oliveira to be rematching Tsarukyan instead. However, Lima said that was never negotiated with the UFC.
Tsarukyan won a close split decision against Oliveira at UFC 300 in April 2024, but the Chute Boxe leader still thinks he has more “appeal†for a fight with Gaethje after beating Max Holloway and Mateusz Gamrot in his most recent appearances.
“In my opinion, and I think it's the public's opinion as well, Charles has a history with Gaethje, so he would be the more marketable name,†Lima said. “We know that, financially speaking, he's the best name for Gaethje to fight. But we also know that Arman is up there. Those would perhaps be the two names where a fight between them would guarantee a title shot, for example.â€
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MMA
Eddie Hearn says Anthony Joshua rejected ‘many millions more’ for Tyson Fury fight
Published
2 hours agoon
September 18, 2026
vs. Anthony
Joshua should take place.
Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO and Zuffa Boxing co-founder
Dana
White recently claimed Hearn was preventing the fight from
coming to fruition, citing disagreements over whether the bout
should be held in the United Kingdom or the United States. Hearn
recently addressed the same, revealing that he and Joshua remain
adamant that the fight takes place in the U.K.
Anthony Joshua and Eddie Hearn double down on staging Tyson
Fury fight in Britain
The Matchroom Boxing chairman has emphasized that the focus should
simply be on honoring the existing agreement for the fight.
“Dana White has tried to get involved in a fight that he has
nothing to do with,†Hearn told iFL TV. “All we have ever done is
say, ‘We've signed our contract. Just honor the contract that we've
signed.'â€
Hearn claimed Joshua was offered more money to move the fight to
the U.S. but remained committed to staging the bout in Britain. He
believes public support for a U.K. venue has only strengthened
Joshua's stance and says discussions are now focused on moving
forward with the original plan.
“Anthony Joshua could have taken many millions more to do the fight
in America,†Hearn added. “We want the fight in Britain. The
support that we've had on social media, my social media, A.J.'s
social media, has made us double down on our principles on this.
We're not trying to hurt the fight.â€
Principality Stadium in Cardiff has emerged as a leading U.K.
option, while Wembley has also been discussed. Ultimately, Hearn
emphasized that Joshua will make the final decision regarding the
fight's location.
MMA
Aljamain Sterling wants Jean Silva fight to decide UFC No. 1 contender
Published
5 hours agoon
September 18, 2026
Sterling wants to fight Jean Silva
to determine the next challenger for
Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight gold.
Silva submitted Jose
Delgado in the third round of the main event of
Noche UFC 4, then called for a shot at the winner of the
upcoming Alexander
Volkanovski vs. Movsar
Evloev championship bout set to headline
UFC 333. Sterling, however, believes Silva needs to go through
him if he wants a title shot.
Aljamain Sterling proposes December showdown with Jean Silva in
UFC featherweight title race
Sterling, who has won his last bouts, had initially suggested a
November matchup with Silva at Madison Square Garden. The former
bantamweight champ is also open to fighting “Lord†in December, so
the latter has ample time to heal and prepare.
“Even if it's a Fight Night, I don't give a f*ck,†Sterling said on
his YouTube channel. “December, run that sh*t. Run that sh*t. Run
that sh*t. All I'm saying is, I want to give him the fair
opportunity to heal, be ready, be the best version of himself, and
I would love to have that fight. I want to fight the fights that
make the most sense; the biggest names, the fights that get me
somewhere. Not just taking random fights just to say I fought this
guy. Bro, I don't give a f*ck. I'm 37. It's time to sh*t or get off
the pot.â€
Sterling also believes the timing works well for the division,
particularly with Volkanovski and Evloev scheduled to collide in
October.
“So, the most common-sense thing, in my personal opinion, is to let
us figure it out and see who wins,†Sterling added. “We both stay
busy, stay active and get a clear-cut No. 1 contender for the
title. I know they had the ‘Beware of Dog' signs, but I got
something for that. I like to think my style is the ultimate
equalizer. Just like they talk about power, I got something
else.â€
Sterling is coming off wins over Brian
Ortega and Youssef
Zalal. He's now 3-1 since moving up to the featherweight
division, with his lone defeat at 145 pounds coming in a Fight of
the Night against Evloev in 2024.
MMA
Julian Fernandez finds "BKB more challenging and rewarding" than BKFC, having fought for both
Published
7 hours agoon
September 17, 2026

Julian Fernandez is unbeaten in the world of bare-knuckle boxing and has noticed key differences between his efforts in BKFC and his current BKB path. The former Mexican national boxing champion has made waves in gloveless combat as BKB's undefeated titleholder in the wake of debuting in the sport initially with BKFC.
Obviously the competitive spaces are different, but when asked for other noticeably divergent aspects there were to competing for the two powerhouse bare knuckle boxing companies, Fernandez said [via Bare Knuckle Bowker] (via interpreter work from BKB's Mel Valenzuela),
“When you're fighting for BKB, when you're going in there, you're going to fight. You're going to exchange, you're in the middle. In BKFC, the ring is bigger. There's more opportunity to run around and kind of dodge some of the fighting… He's saying it's a big challenge to fight at BKB, the three-minute rounds.â€
“He's saying that you must master the angles. He said that it can be to your advantage or if you don't know how to manage those angles, it can be to your detriment. So managing the angles, learning how to work with them, make them work for you, and the three-minute rounds make BKB more challenging and rewarding at the same time.â€
The BKB champ has several plans in his back pocket for a clash with a multi-division BKB champ on Saturday's card in Tijuana
Touching on the dynamics of collecting so much intel from Bare Knuckle Boxing's Mighty Trigon despite having a ledger loaded with quick first-round finishes, Fernandez stated [via Bare Knuckle Bowker] (via interpreter work from Mel Valenzuela),
“By the grace of God, he's been able to finish his fights early but that he always prepares for six rounds for every fight. He's ready to go the distance and part of that is managing the angles. He's always got a plan A, plan B, and plan C, should they be needed. But that to this point, it's a testament to his preparation, the fact that he's not gone further than the first round.â€
When asked if the contender for his super cruiserweight title this weekend at BKB 59, Dan Podmore, can become the first man to encroach into the second stanza with him, Fernandez quipped [via Bare Knuckle Bowker] (via interpreter work from Mel Valenzuela),
“He doesn't know how well [Dan] Podmore is prepared for this and he sounds like he doesn't care. He knows that he's prepared. He prepares hard to finish the fight in the first round, but he can go six rounds if he has to. He doesn't like to give any prognostications, right? [laughs] He doesn't want to guess. All he knows is that he's prepared he comes out strong, goes for the knockout early, but is prepared to go six rounds.â€
This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM
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