At UFC Rio, Charles Oliveira silenced all the doubters! In the main event, ‘Do Bronxs,’ now calling himself ‘Predador,’ absolutely dominated Mateusz Gamrot, securing a rear-naked choke victory in the second round. And just like that, the Brazilian legend’s first homecoming since 2020 turned into a massive success. After rebounding from his UFC 317 knockout loss to Ilia Topuria, Oliveira wasted no time in firing up the fans. The former 155-lb king called out his old rival, Max Holloway, before 16,297 electrified Rio de Janeiro fans.  

Oliveira said, “Hey, Hunter! Charles Oliveira and Max Holloway, ‘BMF’—let’s make that happen.” As the entire UFC world began dreaming of this epic rematch, another question quickly arose: When and where should it take place? Many fancied Holloway’s homeland, Hawaii, as the perfect option. But what if I told you this fight makes far more sense on the UFC White House card next year? With Dana White promising “the baddest card ever,” scheduling this showdown on American Independence Day makes even more sense. Here’s why!

The first Max Holloway vs. Charles Oliveira fight wasn’t a satisfying result  

For the unversed, Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira first faced each other in 2015. If you’re wondering how old they were, ‘Blessed’ was almost 24, while ‘Do Bronxs’ was around 26. By then, both fighters already had several UFC bouts under their belts and weren’t newcomers to the promotion. In fact, Oliveira had spent five years in the UFC, but then, while Holloway was just two years behind him. Both were competing in the 145 lbs division, which led to the promotion matching them up at UFC Fight Night 71. 

Many expected that fight to be an absolute banger back then. However, it ended in major disappointment, as Oliveira suffered a shoulder/neck injury and was forced to withdraw in the first round. Although Holloway was awarded a TKO victory, the bout didn’t truly determine who was the better fighter that night. Their mutual respect was clear in the post-fight comments, where both acknowledged the unfortunate ending and expressed a desire to meet again under better circumstances. 

“I injured my neck in training but did physical therapy and thought everything was fine,” Oliveira told MMA Fighting’s Guilherme Cruz, later revealing that he underwent multiple tests and surgeries after the injury abruptly stopped the fight. Still, the Brazilian was eager for a rematch, adding, “I would like a rematch because there was no fight. I got injured literally the first time I attacked.” As we can see, neither fighter was truly satisfied with how that fight ended—nor were the fans. 

According to an ESPN article written by veteran journalist Brett Okamoto in 2015, Holloway said after the fight, “Everybody send prayers to Charles. It’s part of the game. It’s kind of sad to see that happen. This is how we make our living, so all my prayers to Charles. I hope he can make a full recovery.” Afterward, ‘Blessed’ aimed to face Frankie Edgar in his hometown. However, while the Hawaiian wasn’t satisfied with the outcome, the Brazilian was even more devastated by how things unfolded.

Also, the UFC never booked an immediate rematch, likely because they were still developing as fighters and the stakes weren’t high enough. After that bout, both men eventually became legends of the sport. 

Oliveira’s rise as a lightweight legend 

MMA is indeed a brutal sport, where bouncing back from setbacks takes incredible resilience, and Charles Oliveira’s featherweight journey proves just that. After ‘Do Bronxs’ (now ‘Predador’) recovered from his injury, he made a strong comeback by submitting Myles Jury with a guillotine choke at UFC on FOX 17. But after back-to-back losses to Anthony Pettis and Ricardo Lamas, Oliveira had to make a career-defining decision and moved up a weight class.

In his lightweight debut, the Brazilian faced Will Brooks at UFC 210, but another setback came against Paul Felder at UFC 218, once again raising major doubts about his career. Still, no one knew that from there, the Brazilian was destined for greatness. After the loss to Felder, Oliveira made a strong comeback against Clay Guida and went on an incredible winning streak—avenging his loss to Jim Miller, defeating Kevin Lee, and most importantly, dominating Tony Ferguson along the way.

After defeating ‘El Cucuy’ at UFC 256, Oliveira became the prime contender for the vacant lightweight title against Michael Chandler at UFC 262. When he finally got the title shot, the Brazilian solidified his legacy by knocking out ‘Iron’ Mike in the second round, becoming the new lightweight king. Following the pinnacle of his career, Oliveira further cemented his status by defending his belt against Dustin Poirier at UFC 269. But after that incredible victory, another very unfortunate moment struck his career. 

Before facing Justin Gaethje at UFC 274, ‘Do Bronxs’ missed weight by 0.5 pounds, which cost him his title. Still, he knocked out ‘The Highlight’ in the main event, maintaining his status as the number one contender. And, just as fans thought it was only a matter of time before he would reclaim the belt, Islam Makhachev defeated him at UFC 280, crushing those hopes. Since then, Oliveira’s career has had valleys and peaks. 

Although he bounced back with a win against Beneil Dariush at UFC 289, Arman Tsarukyan became his hurdle at UFC 300. Yet, Oliveira’s determination fueled a victory over Michael Chandler in their UFC 309 rematch, putting him back at the forefront for a 155 lbs title shot. When he fought for the vacant belt again at UFC 317, Ilia Topuria knocked him out in the headliner, once more denying him the championship. Despite numerous setbacks, Oliveira always returned with a bang, solidifying his status as a legend. On the other hand, Max Holloway’s story wasn’t very different from his.  

Holloway’s unwavering journey to featherweight stardom

Unlike Oliveira, the Hawaiian didn’t have to wait long to become a champion. Just three fights after his TKO victory over ‘Do Bronx,’ Holloway defeated Anthony Pettis at UFC 206 to claim the interim title. He then unified the belt against the legendary Jose Aldo at UFC 212 and successfully defended it against ‘The King of Rio’ at UFC 218. With these victories, the UFC world began witnessing the peak of Holloway’s career. 

The Hawaiian successfully defended his belt against rising contender Brian Ortega at UFC 231 and then against legend Frankie Edgar at UFC 240. But along came Alexander Volkanovski, who proved to be Holloway’s toughest challenge. At UFC 245, ‘The Great’ ended Holloway’s reign and defeated him again at UFC 251. Well, it’s true that ‘Blessed’ suffered two consecutive championship losses, but his legendary status remained intact. 

The former 145 lbs king further reinforced it by returning to form, launching another dominant run in the featherweight division, and proving that his prime was far from over. Holloway dispatched Calvin Kattar and Yair Rodriguez to earn a third shot at the featherweight gold. But once again, the Aussie stopped him decisively at UFC 276, putting his title dreams on hold.  However, the Hawaiian’s relentless spirit drove him to compete in the division.

In his next two fights, Holloway defeated surging English featherweight contender Arnold Allen by decision and gave ‘The Korean Zombie’ a memorable send-off in his retirement bout at UFC Singapore with a brutal knockout. With that, ‘Blessed’ was back in featherweight title contention once again. However, earning another shot at Volkanovski didn’t seem practical at the time. 

Yet what followed soon after would go on to shape his career in an entirely different direction. Ultimately, it sets the stage for why he might end up facing Charles Oliveira in a rematch.  

How stars have aligned for ‘Predador’ vs ‘Blessed’ UFC Rematch  

As we’ve seen, Oliveira and Holloway carved different paths for much of their careers. That was until 2024, when they finally saw themselves in the same weight class, on the same card. We’re, of course, talking about the historic UFC 300, arguably the most stacked card in the promotion’s history.

For much of his career, ‘Blessed’ was celebrated as one of the best boxers in the UFC, yet he faced criticism for not delivering highlight-reel knockouts. At UFC 300, Holloway silenced all doubters, producing what might just be one of the greatest, if not the greatest, knockouts in UFC history. He left Gaethje faceplanted at the last second – a buzzer beater – proving his power in the 155-lb division. But even as he claimed the BMF belt, his next outing showed that 145 lbs was no longer his ideal division.

Holloway returned to face Ilia Topuria at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi, aiming to reclaim his lost belt. However, ‘El Matador’ became the first man to knock him out cold. That defeat made the Hawaiian superstar realize his days at featherweight were over. He permanently moved up to lightweight, looked sensational against Dustin Poirier at UFC 318, with newfound power.  And firmly, he established 155 lbs as his new home. 

In an interview with MMA Junkie, he said, “I just figured, ’55 is much funner. I get to eat a bunch more, and I just get to do my thing at ’55. So, at the end of the day, it was a no-brainer to stay there. We had unfinished business at ’45, so that’s why we went back down. We here now, and I can’t wait. There’s some fun matchups for us here at ’55, so it’s even more better for me.”

Once Holloway shifted his focus to the lightweight division and defeated Poirier in a rematch, fans naturally grew excited at the prospect of him facing Charles Oliveira. The intrigue stemmed not only from their shared history but also from another compelling factor—they both suffered losses to Ilia Topuria, granting either fighter another shot at ‘El Matador’ in the 155 lbs division without first securing crucial wins wouldn’t have been a wise decision.  

So, as of now, both fighters have taken a step back to recover after monumental losses. Now, with Charles Oliveira defeating Mateusz Gamrot at UFC Rio, they find themselves in a position where one win—ideally over each other—could catapult them back into title contention. Fully aware of this scenario, the Brazilian called Holloway out. To make things interesting, ‘Blessed’ also replied in his kick stream, “Why wouldn’t I be interested in that?” While also making the date to be “February”.  Possibly in Hawaii. 

But, since Dana White has a nightmarish problem at the UFC White House, Max Holloway vs Charles Oliveira might solve it. So, let’s see how that comes into play!  

The rematch could help Dana White’s “American champion” problem at the UFC White House event   

The UFC is currently aiming for the stars with their anticipated White House event, originally scheduled for the 4th of July, on Independence Day. Due to scheduling issues, the event has now been shifted to June 14th next year. While the date has changed, the element of patriotism will likely remain intact. However, with Kayla Harrison as the only American champion on the card, the event lacks enough local titleholders to truly headline the show. 

Then there’s the Jon Jones saga, where he ended his retirement to enter the testing pool, aiming to fight at the event. But after he snubbed the Tom Aspinall matchup for nearly two years, Dana White isn’t keen on featuring him as the headliner, even going so far as to call Conor McGregor more reliable. If that tension carries into next year, it could rule out another major American star from the card.

At UFC 320, Cory Sandhagen had a chance to claim a belt for his country, but ‘The Machine’ proved too dominant to topple. This means White likely has to build a card where most American fighters aren’t holding belts—think Sean Strickland, Colby Covington. And who knows? Dustin Poirier might return for one more fight against Nate Diaz, with McGregor and Chandler headlining the event. 

Still, if the UFC wants a card stacked with high-stakes, must-see fights, Holloway vs. Oliveira becomes essential. ‘Blessed’ hails from Hawaii, making him an American star who fits the bill. Moreover, he holds the BMF title, and his bout with Oliveira promises fireworks. In that sense, this matchup earns the top spot for the White House card over any other, including UFC Hawaii. Sure, a legendary fight in front of his home crowd would be incredible, but that can wait until Holloway decides to retire.  

That way, the White House card becomes the perfect stage where this decade-long rematch truly makes sense. With that in mind, do you agree with the argument that both UFC superstars should clash at next year’s US Independence Day event? Or do you think another card would be a better fit? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.