UFC Rio was a night of resounding victories for many fighters, including Charles Oliveira, who left fans speechless after scoring a rear-naked choke submission win over Mateusz Gamrot.
Following his dominant finish, Oliveira wasted no time calling out BMF champion Max Holloway for a rematch.
“Hey, Hunter [Campbell], Charles Oliveira and Max Holloway, BMF. Let’s make that happen,” Oliveira said during his post-fight interview.
At first, Holloway didn’t seem too interested in the idea. He responded with a meme captioned “another one,” referencing the number of callouts he’d received. However, the BMF champ later seemed to have a change of heart and addressed Oliveira during a livestream.
“Charles’ performance? I didn’t watch it,” Holloway said. “I just got the clip of him calling me out. The only way to announce that is another one. Let’s go.
“No, I’m not f*cking going to Rio. Fight in Las Vegas or something. We fight on my terms, brother. We went to Rio, we did that with the ‘King of Rio.’ Now it’s my turn to have a say.”
Holloway also revealed that he’s currently healing from nagging injuries following his July victory over Dustin Poirier, but he expects to return soon.
“We’re pretty close to fighting in March,” Holloway said. “It’s very possible. Pretty close but very possible for sure.”
For his part, Oliveira has no problem agreeing to Holloway’s terms about location and timing.
“His terms are the same as the UFC,” Oliveira said at the UFC Rio post-fight press conference. “It can be in his house. If it’s not in Brazil, it can be anywhere in the world. [March] is perfect—it’s a perfect fight. It would be awesome to see Hawaii.”
Although both fighters seem open to a rematch, a potential sticking point remains, the timing. Holloway wants the fight to happen as soon as possible, while Oliveira has his sights set on a UFC White House card later in the year. During his stream, Holloway made it clear he’s not willing to wait too long.
“I don’t know if I want to wait that long,” he said, insisting he’ll “be back to training soon.”
“Maybe February?” Holloway asked. “Fight in Las Vegas or something. We’re fighting on my terms, brother.”
As of now, no official date has been set for the Oliveira vs. Holloway rematch. Still, fans are hopeful that these two lightweight powerhouses will meet again soon, this time under the bright lights of Las Vegas.
