UFC BMF champion Charles Oliveira called for a rematch against Justin Gaethje, with both the BMF and lightweight titles on the line.
Oliveira defeated Gaethje in the main event of UFC 274 in May 2022 in a fight in which Oliveira, who was the UFC lightweight champion at the time, missed weight on the scale.
During the fight, Gaethje knocked the Brazilian down early on in the bout, but Oliveira regained his composure and was able to submit Gaethje soon thereafter after scoring. knockdown of his own.
Now, four years later, Oliveira is calling for the two to fight again, this time with Gaethje as the champion and Oliveira chasing his belt.
Charles Oliveira Wants Rematch With Justin Gaethje
Speaking to Brazilian MMA reporter Olhar da Luta, Oliveira made it clear that he wants Gaethje next with both the BMF and UFC lightweight titles on the line.
“With all due respect, I’m not looking backward. I’m looking forward. I want to fight for the title. That’s what I’m focused on. The UFC likes a story… I was robbed (in our first fight). They wanted to distract me so I would go in there, have an (expletive) fight, and they could crown him champion. He felt my hands, I dropped him and then I submitted him. There’s a story there. And now he’s the champion. I have no problem with that. The rematch doesn’t need to be in Brazil. Just like I went to his home turf before, it can be in his backyard, it can be in Las Vegas, on the street corner, in Japan, anywhere in the world. I just need one phone call telling me the date and time. So if the UFC wants a story, what bigger story is there than that?” Oliveira said.
“With all due respect, I’m not looking backward. I’m looking forward. I want to fight for the title. That’s what I’m focused on.
The UFC likes a story… I was robbed [in our first fight]. They wanted to distract
What Will UFC Do?
While Oliveira vs. Gaethje is a fine rematch, it’s hard to say that Oliveira deserves the title shot more than the winner of the UFC 331 co-main event between Arman Tsarukyan and Mauricio Ruffy, a fight that seems like a No. 1 contender bout.
Oliveira was actually slated to fight Tsarukyan originally on this card, but after his long-time teammate Allan Nascimento passed away, Oliveira was forced to withdraw from the bout, which is understandable.
We’ll see what the UFC ultimately decides to do, but there is no doubt a rematch between Oliveira and Gaethje would be fun for the fans to watch.
Charles Oliveira Calls for UFC Rematch With Justin Gaethje