Charles Oliveira rejects boring tag after Max Holloway BMF title win

Charles Oliveira says he will not change his style to suit the BMF title's reputation as he prepares to defend it against Diego Lopes at UFC 335 in Las Vegas on 12 December.

By Combat Sports UK Staff · Published Mon 19 Oct, 16:09 UK · Updated Mon 19 Oct, 16:34 UK · AI-assisted reporting

Charles Oliveira has dismissed fans who called his BMF title win over Max Holloway boring, saying that if the belt is meant to reward a stand-up brawl, it can go to someone else.

The Brazilian makes his first defence against Diego Lopes at UFC 335 in Las Vegas on 12 December. He took the belt from Holloway in March, going the distance in a fight built on his grappling. Oliveira holds UFC records for most finishes, submissions and bonuses, and has stopped his opponent in 21 of his 25 octagon wins since joining the promotion in 2010.

Oliveira said: “Honestly, I laugh at this kind of stuff.” He added that anyone calling his fights boring would have to be pretty stupid. He accepted that two fighters standing in front of each other throwing bombs could be entertaining, but said he was there to fight and win, not to please anyone. A defeat to Gamrot or Holloway, he argued, would have cost him both his earnings and his place in the UFC.

Holloway went on to rematch Conor McGregor in a major UFC headliner months after the loss, while Oliveira waited on the sidelines hoping for a lightweight title shot before the Lopes fight was made. Some critics suggested a more aggressive performance might have earned Oliveira the McGregor fight instead. Oliveira questioned whether McGregor would even have accepted a bout with him, and said no one in the division had done to Holloway what he did.

“I respect the hell out of Max, but anyone who watched the fight saw that I made Max look like nothing, both standing and on the ground.” Oliveira said, adding that his best punches and kicks landed and he got every takedown he attempted. On the BMF title, he said: “‘Oh, but the BMF fight is about going there and breaking each other up.’ Then, honestly, brother, here’s the belt. Take it somewhere else. That belt is not for me.”

Against Lopes, Oliveira described himself as a well-rounded mixed martial artist rather than a boxer, kickboxer or grappler, and said his team was studying his opponent from every angle to build a game plan. He acknowledged that Lopes has jiu-jitsu, wrestling, aggressive hands and knockout power, but said he was focused on what he can bring rather than what Lopes can do.

He said: “I’m going into the fight with Diego with absolutely no pressure.”

In this story

Charles Oliveira Max Holloway Diego Lopes