Charles Oliveira is wasting no time with his attempt to get back on track after his knockout loss to Ilia Topuria.
After being stopped in the first round of their vacant title bout in June, former lightweight champion Oliveira (35-11 MMA, 23-11 UFC) is set to return to action on home soil against Rafael Fiziev (13-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 261 in Rio de Janeiro on Oct. 11.
The event takes place at Farmasi Arena and streams on ESPN+.
UFC officials announced the matchup Thursday on social media (via X):
Oliveira, 36, will compete in Brazil for the first time since March 2020. The promotion’s all-time leader in finishes, submissions and bonuses is 3-3 in his past six fights, and will be forced to prove he is still worthy of his No. 4 spot in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie lightweight rankings.
Looking to take that spot will be No. 12-ranked Fiziev, 32, who is coming off a unanimous decision win over Ignacio Bahamondes at UFC on ABC 8 in June to snap a three-fight losing skid.
The latest UFC Fight Night 261 lineup now includes:
- Charles Oliveira vs. Rafael Fiziev
- Thomas Petersen vs. Vitor Petrino
- Karolina Kowalkiewicz vs. Julia Polastri
- Stewart Nicoll vs. Lucas Rocha
- Jhonata Diniz vs. Mario Pinto
- Irina Alekseeva vs. Bia Mesquita
