Charles Oliveira is determined to return to the Octagon before the end of the year, though the former UFC lightweight champion currently has no official bout on the books. ‘Do Bronx’ recently returned to training after taking an emotional break from competition following the untimely death of his longtime friend and training partner, Allan Nascimento. That devastating personal loss directly impacted a massive upcoming championship eliminator.
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The Brazilian was officially scheduled to meet Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 331, but the fight fell through after Nascimento passed away. Oliveira is now back in the gym and attempting to regain his rhythm, leaving fans to speculate about a rapidly approaching fight date. He recently clarified his exact contractual status directly to the Brazilian media.
“No, for sure I want to fight again this year,” Charles Oliveira told Olhar Da Luta in his Portuguese. “I don’t have any fight booked. No opponent has been offered to me. People keep throwing names out there, but I don’t have anything.
“Other people see that I’m back training and start saying, ‘Oh, he’s back training,’ but nothing has ever been brought to me. So the reality is that I want to fight again before the end of the year. I want to have one more fight.”
‘Do Bronx’ and Tsarukyan were originally scheduled to face off in a massive rematch of their UFC 300 lightweight title eliminator. ‘Ahalkalakets’ won their first grueling fight by a split decision, and the rematch was expected to determine the next undisputed title challenger. That cancellation completely altered the top of the divisional rankings and opened the door for a dangerous replacement.
Oliveira’s recent withdrawal allowed rising prospect Mauricio Ruffy to step in against the Armenian contender. Ruffy enters the high-stakes matchup riding a two-fight winning streak, highlighted by a dominant first-round TKO over Michael Chandler at UFC Freedom 250. While the promotion successfully salvaged the card, the original opponent heavily criticized the circumstances surrounding the withdrawal.
Arman Tsarukyan questions Charles Oliveira’s UFC 331 withdrawal
Tsarukyan publicly questioned whether grief was the sole reason behind the sudden cancellation. He suggested that Oliveira simply pulled out because he preferred a different stylistic matchup and wanted to avoid a second consecutive defeat. The Armenian contender explicitly outlined a theory involving a surging divisional star.
“Because Charles’ friend died and he cannot train,” Arman Tsarukyan said on The Ariel Helwani Show. “But I don’t understand; in three days or four days, he’s doing live streamings and back in the camp, and probably they already set it up fight with Diego Lopes.
“He was just finding excuse and now, he just found excuse, and I don’t know if… everybody’s different yeah. It’s to lose somebody is so hard, but you could beat me and dedicate this victory to your friend, but you never know, so. Of course, fight me or Diego Lopes; for sure he would pick Diego Lopes.”
When Ariel Helwani asked whether Tsarukyan had actual confirmation of a Lopes booking, the Armenian fighter admitted he was purely speculating. “No, I just think probably they’re gonna make BMF versus him and Diego Lopes,” Tsarukyan clarified. That speculation centers around a fighter who only recently arrived in the 155-pound weight class.
“No, I just think probably they’re gonna make BMF versus him and Diego Lopes,” Tsarukyan replied. That speculation centers around a fighter who only recently arrived in the 155-pound weight class.
There has been no formal announcement regarding the Oliveira-Lopes fight. Lopes has, however, moved up to lightweight after two failed efforts to dethrone Alexander Volkanovski at featherweight.
Meanwhile, Arman Tsarukyan has moved on to fight Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 331. The Brazilian comes into the fight on a two-fight winning streak, having defeated Michael Chandler in the first round by TKO at UFC Freedom 250.
The priority for Oliveira remains getting back to full physical and mental strength before signing a new bout agreement. He will look to secure an official opponent and a finalized date for his highly anticipated Octagon return before the UFC concludes its 2026 calendar year in December.