“Hey Hunter, Charles Oliveira, and Max Holloway, BMF—let’s make that happen.” At Rio de Janeiro’s Farmasi Arena, when Michael Bisping echoed Oliveira’s words, the crowd erupted into a loud roar. Since last year, the former lightweight champion has dealt with a lopsided record – two losses against one win. The skewed balance could have deterred a lesser mortal. But this is Do Bronxs. At UFC Rio, he set the record straight with a second-round win over Mateusz Gamrot. Now, it’s time to add more weight to the ‘W’ side of the ledger.

To that end, Charles Oliveira seems to have chalked out a plan. Sitting comfortably just behind Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan, the Brazilian fighter has set his sights on Ilia Topuria‘s belt. The Georgian-Spanish striker dashed Oliveira’s dreams of reclaiming championship glory with a clean first-round KO in June this year. However, Oliveira believes the road to a rematch runs through Max Holloway. A win over the rival who defeated him more than a decade ago could set the stage for a round two with Topuria.

First stop: Max Holloway. Final Destination: Ilia Topuria

Charles Oliveira was in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, yesterday, where the city’s Potawatomi Casino Event Center hosted Anthony Pettis FC 20: Milwaukee Fight Night 9. Oliveira personally wrapped the belt around Roland Dunlop, who successfully defended his APFC title. With a star like Do Bronxs in attendance, it was inevitable that the ring announcer would ask the million-dollar question: “How soon are you going to have UFC gold wrapped around your waist?” To which Oliveira replied, “Man, I’m working on it!”

Then came the part everyone wanted to hear: “I think I’ll have the opportunity to fight for the BMF title now. And, if I get past Max, I think I’ll be the next title challenger.” That declaration drew another round of cheers and applause.

Oliveira sits at #3 in the lightweight rankings, one spot above Holloway. Sure, a bout between them has all the makings of a title eliminator. But it all depends on the upcoming UFC 322 welterweight title fight between Islam Makhachev and Jack Della Maddalena. I

f the former lightweight champ gets the win, the current one might chase him down at welterweight. Topuria vs. Makhachev is the biggest fight the UFC could not make this year (maybe only second to Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall). If the stars align again, you can count on them to cash in on the opportunity under the Paramount partnership next year.

Where does that leave Oliveira?

After his loss in the UFC 317 headliner, Charles Oliveira returned home, where he had originally been scheduled to face Rafael Fiziev last month. But a knee injury forced the Azerbaijani contender to withdraw from the Fight Night, paving the way for Poland’s Mateusz Gamrot to step in. The bout ended in the second round when Oliveira secured a submission via face crank.

The UFC seems to be at a loss on what to do with Ilia Topuria. They are not giving him the rightful contender, Arman Tsarukyan. There are rumors of a Justin Gaethje fight early next year, when a more deserving Max Holloway is sitting on a big win, in which he retired Dustin Poirier. So, both Max and Charles might be left fighting to make up for the void left by the champ’s inactivity. What may intrigue fans is that Holloway shares similar sentiments as Oliveira about a rematch.

Holloway to Charles Oliveira: The dance floor awaits

Max Holloway also believes a rematch with Charles Oliveira makes a lot of sense. The two share history. Ten years ago, they headlined a card in Canada, where Holloway won via first-round TKO. Ever since, fans have been clamoring for a sequel to their thrilling duel.

Speaking with Drake Riggs, Max Holloway made his stance clear: “That’s the fight I want. That’s the fight that a lot of people want to see. We have history. A lot, you know, there are not too many people right now that people are considering BMFs, right? But on that very short list, you know, on a very short list, Charles Oliveira is one of them.”

On April 13 last year, Holloway defeated Justin Gaethje in what’s now considered a UFC classic to capture the symbolic “BMF” title. Though he later fell to Ilia Topuria, a fate that Oliveira would share months afterward, Holloway bounced back with a bang in July this year, defending the BMF title against Dustin Poirier.

While Holloway may have waved the green flag, he appears to have a few conditions for the Oliveira rematch. For now, much depends on what the UFC ultimately decides.