Diego Lopes has no interest in a chess match on Dec. 12. He wants Charles Oliveira walking forward and throwing. Lopes challenges Oliveira for the BMF belt in the main event of UFC 335 in Las Vegas, the promotion’s final numbered card of the year. He told MMA Fighting he’s hoping Oliveira arrives looking to make up for his last outing.
That last outing is the whole backdrop. Oliveira took the BMF title in March with a dominant win over Max Holloway, but he got there mostly through grappling. That route drew criticism from fighters, from fans and even from UFC CEO Dana White. Lopes figures the man with the most bonuses in UFC history might overcorrect this time, and he sounded delighted by the idea.
“I hope so,” Lopes said with a laugh. “I hope he does come in with that mindset, because that’s exactly what I want. I want to get in there and throw down. Let’s see who goes down first [laughs]. That’s exactly what I’m looking for.”
Lopes has nothing to prove on the entertainment front. He’s collected seven bonuses in 10 UFC appearances, and he said he doesn’t feel much pressure to change anything. His argument was simple. He tries to drag every fight into a war, even the ones he’s lost, but a war takes two people. If the guy across from him is willing to do the same, Lopes said, you can count on a war.
Getting to this booking took a few detours. Lopes said his first lightweight offer came after he knocked out Steve Garcia at UFC White House in June. The plan was a UFC Paris headliner against Dan Hooker. Then Salahdine Parnasse signed with the promotion and got Hooker instead. The UFC next considered Lopes vs. Benoit Saint Denis for UFC 344 at Madison Square Garden. The Oliveira call finally came shortly after Mauricio Ruffy stepped in to face Arman Tsarukyan in September.
He’s built himself for 155. Lopes said he now walks around 180 pounds, which is 15 more than he’d usually carry two months out from a cut to 145.
Lopes has fought Alexander Volkanovski, Movsar Evloev, Jean Silva and Brian Ortega. He still said Oliveira is definitely the toughest matchup of his career. His reasoning was that Oliveira can knock you out or submit you, and he’s dangerous from top and bottom on the mat. Lopes also said he’s comfortable on his back. “I’m not the kind of guy who’s just going to focus on surviving until the round ends so we can get back to our feet and try our luck in the next round,” he said.
The lightweight title picture is stuck. Champion Justin Gaethje won’t defend in 2026, and there’s a chance he retires without ever defending. Lopes admitted even a dominant win might not earn him a shot. He then pitched himself as a stylistic fit for Gaethje. He pointed to the danger Gaethje would face elsewhere: Oliveira’s jiu-jitsu (Oliveira has already submitted him), Tsarukyan’s wrestling and Topuria’s boxing. If Lopes wins, he wants to defend the BMF belt, and he said doing it against Gaethje would be even better. He hasn’t closed the door on returning to featherweight, but said his body would need time to readjust.
My take: Lopes saying he’s fine off his back against Oliveira worries me far more than any brawl talk. Oliveira’s guard has ended a lot of brave nights. If Lopes keeps this on the feet and Oliveira takes the bait, Dec. 12 could be the most fun headliner of the year. If Lopes gets cute on the floor, it could end in a hurry.
