BMF champion Charles Oliveira returns to action on December 12 during UFC 335 in Las Vegas. He will take on Diego Lopes in the main event of the evening at the T-Mobile Arena.
The UFC announced the booking moments ago. Oliveira won the BMF title earlier this year after beating Max Holloway via unanimous decision. His opponent, Diego Lopes, moves up from featherweight to the lightweight division and challenges his countryman to become the BMF champion.
The History Of The BMF Title
It is a symbolic championship belt designed to honor the sport’s most fearless and exciting fighters who consistently deliver high-action wars for the fans. The concept was born at UFC 241 in August 2019. After defeating Anthony Pettis, Nate Diaz took the microphone and declared he wanted to defend his self-proclaimed “baddest **** in the game” title against Jorge Masvidal. The idea instantly went viral. UFC presidentDana White leaned into the hype and made a custom, $50,000 physical BMF belt specifically for their headlining clash at UFC 244.
The title was originally intended to be a one-off for the Diaz vs. Masvidal fight. However, the BMF belt proved to be a highly effective tool for the UFC to headline major events with high-level matchups, especially when traditional champions were unavailable to defend their titles.
The UFC Revived The BMF Title in 2023
In 2023, the UFC resurrected the BMF title, booking a highly anticipated clash between Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje. Gaethje claimed the belt with a spectacular knockout, becoming the second BMF champion in history. A little over a year later, Gaethje became the first fighter to put the title on the line, but was knocked out cold by Max Holloway in a legendary battle. Holloway then defended the belt earlier this year against Charles Oliveira, who completely dominated him over five rounds to win a unanimous decision. Now, Oliveira looks to make history as the very first athlete to successfully defend the BMF title when he shares the octagon with Diego Lopes.
Former champion Oliveira has won since his loss for the title against Ilia Topuria, Mateusz Gamrot, and Max Holloway. He was originally supposed to fight Arman Tsarukyan in a rematch at UFC 331 but pulled out before the UFC officially announced the fight due to personal reasons. Now he is back to take on fan favorite Diego Lopes. Lopes came up short twice against featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski. The Brazilian fighter recently fought at the UFC White House event, knocking out Steve Garcia. Lopes decided to move up in weight and make a run for lightweight gold. But first, he takes on Oliveira for the BMF title.
UFC 335 – Las Vegas (December 12)
- Charles Oliveira vs. Diego Lopes
- Sergei Pavlovich vs. Alex Pereira
- Brandon Moreno vs. Charles Oliveira
- Joe Pyfer vs. Bo Nickal
BMF Title on the Line at UFC 335 in Las Vegas