Who Will Charles Oliveira Fight at UFC Rio?
The upcoming UFC Rio card on October 11, 2025, has been thrown into chaos after Rafael Fiziev was forced to withdraw from his scheduled main event clash with Charles “Do Bronx” Oliveira due to injury. This fight was highly anticipated, with Oliveira preparing for weeks to face one of the most dangerous strikers in the lightweight division. Now, just weeks away from fight night, the UFC is scrambling to find a replacement, and several fighters have stepped up publicly to throw their names into the mix.
Among them, Mateusz Gamrot was quick to challenge Oliveira. Gamrot wasted no time after Fiziev’s withdrawal, posting on social media that he was ready to step in on short notice. He called Oliveira out directly, pointing out that he’s willing to fight with no full camp and accusing others of hesitating when opportunity knocks.
His style, however, poses a major complication. Gamrot is a grappling-heavy fighter, completely different from Fiziev’s striking-focused game, which means Oliveira would have to drastically alter his fight strategy with minimal preparation time. Oliveira himself admitted this would be a huge challenge, saying it would “change the whole game plan” so close to the fight.
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Other fighters have expressed interest, including Diego Lopes, who even offered to move up from featherweight to take the fight, as well as Joaquim Silva. However, some contenders like Benoît Saint Denis and Renato Moicano have reportedly turned down the opportunity. Oliveira has voiced frustration at fighters declining offers while he remains determined to compete at UFC Rio.
As it stands, Gamrot appears to be the frontrunner, given his willingness to step in and his ranking within the division. The question now is whether Oliveira will accept a drastically different stylistic challenge or if the UFC will find a striker more similar to Fiziev to keep the original fight dynamics intact. With UFC Rio fast approaching, fans are eagerly waiting to see who will stand across the cage from “Do Bronx” on fight night.
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