Charles Oliveira returned to his classic form on Saturday night in the main event of UFC Rio, further extending his 18-0 unbeaten streak in Brazil with a submission of Mateusz Gamrot at the Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The former UFC lightweight champion needed only the second round to hold on to a late-fight crank, returning him to the win column just 105 days after his brutal knockout defeat at the hands of Ilia Topuria for the then-vacant UFC lightweight title.
Oliveira (36-11, 1 NC) applied his patented striking pressure early in the fight, driving kicks into the abdomen of his late replacement opponent. Gamrot (25-4, 1 NC) played under pressure, beating Oliveira and finding himself in fearsome wrestling tangles, with Oliveira’s omoplata attempts particularly threatening. Eventually, “Do Bronx” made its way to Gamrot’s back, which ultimately heralded the inevitable conclusion of the second round.
It was a largely effortless performance from the fan favorite in front of his raucous hometown crowd. This victory keeps Oliveira’s name in the top elite at 155 pounds, and while a title remains his goal, it’s not the title one would expect. After the fight, an emotional Oliveira asked for a chance to see a former opponent again and challenge the current holder of the symbolic UFC BMF championship, Max Holloway.
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“I’m trying to hold back tears right now. It’s all about you guys, Oliveira said. “It’s not about money, fame, status or anything. To hell with it, it’s Brazil.
“Hey (UFC executive) Hunter (Campbell), Charles Oliveira and Max Holloway, BMF – let’s make this happen.”
Holloway wasted no time reacting to Oliveira’s victory. Speaking to his Kick stream, Holloway noted that he is still recovering from a hand injury, with a goal of returning in the second quarter of 2026.
Regardless, he’s completely on board with the idea of a rematch against Oliveira.
“I’m interested. Why wouldn’t I be?” Holloway said.
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It’s been a decade since Holloway and Oliveira met in a 2015 featherweight clash at UFC Saskatoon. Unfortunately, the fight was short-lived after an early injury to Oliveira, suffered less than two minutes into the first round, gave Holloway the victory. Both men have since cemented their legendary status in the years since. Holloway most recently fought in a victory over Dustin Poirier at UFC 318 in July.
Regarding Gamrot, the Polish contender now goes back to the drawing board after entering the Oliveira fight on short notice as an injury replacement to compatriot Rafael Fiziev. The loss marks the first time Gamrot has finished, giving him a 4-2 record in his last six UFC appearances.
In the co-main event of the evening, former two-time flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo fended off bantamweight contender Montel Jackson in a closely contested affair. Figueiredo was victorious via split decision, ending his two-fight skid and simultaneously ending Jackson’s six-fight winning streak.
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In total, eight of the 12 Brazilian fighters competing at UFC Rio emerged victorious. Only three of the 12 fights ended in decisions.
Oliveira, Bia Mesquita, Vitor Petrino and Julia Polastri all earned $50,000 Performance of the Night bonuses. No Fight of the Night bonuses were handed out. For Oliveira, the bonus brought his UFC record for most performance bonuses in history to 21.
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Check out full results and highlights from UFC Rio below, along with Uncrown’s round-by-round breakdown of the main event.
Main map
Lightweight: Charles Oliveira def. Mateusz Gamrot via submission (face crank) at 2:48 of R2 | Watch finish
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Bantamweight: Deiveson Figueiredo def. Montel Jackson by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Welterweight: Joel Alvarez def. Vicente Luque by unanimous decision (30-26 All)
Heavyweight: Mario Pinto def. Jhonata Diniz via TKO (punches and elbows) at 4:10 of R2 | Watch finish
Featherweight: Kaan Ofli def. Ricardo Ramos via submission (rear naked choke) at 3:02 of R1 | Watch finish
Preliminary map
Featherweight: Michael Aswell def. Lucas Almeida via TKO (punches) at 1:42 of R1 | Watch finish
Flyweight: Jafel Filho def. Clayton Carpenter via submission (kimura) at 4:42 of R1 | Watch finish
Heavyweight: Vitor Petrino def. Thomas Petersen by KO (punch) at 0:26 of R3 | Watch finish
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Bantamweight: Bia Mesquita def. Irina Alekseeva via submission (rear naked choke) at 2:14 of R2 | Watch finish
Flyweight: Lucas Rocha def. Stewart Nicoll by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Strawweight: Julia Polastri def. Karolina Kowalkiewicz via TKO (headbutt and punches) at 2:56 of R3 | Watch finish
144-pound catch weight: Luan Lacerda def. Saimon Oliveira via submission (armbar) at 3:55 of R2 | Watch finish
