Max Holloway has said he is open to a rematch with Charles Oliveira, after the Brazilian returned to winning ways on Saturday.
Fighting on home soil in Brazil for the first time since 2020, Oliveira submitted Mateusz Gamrot in the first round of their UFC Rio main event.
The stoppage, which extended Oliveira’s records for most finishes and most submissions in UFC history, sent the Farmasi Arena crowd into a frenzy.
It also saw Oliveira bounce back from his knockout loss to Ilia Topuria in June, when the latter beat the former champion to win the vacant lightweight title.
And Oliveira, who turns 36 this week, is already looking ahead to his next fight, eyeing a rematch with ‘Baddest Motherf*****’ champion Holloway.
Oliveira, who suffered a neck injury in a first-round loss to Holloway in 2015, said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference: “His terms are the same as the UFC. “It can be in his house. If it’s not in Brazil, it can be anywhere in the world.
“[March] is perfect, it’s a perfect fight. It would be awesome to see Hawaii.”
Holloway, speaking on a stream on Kick, later said: “Charles’s performance? I didn’t watch it. I just got the clip of him calling me out.
“The only way to announce that is ‘another one’,” he continued, quoting record producer DJ Khaled. “Let’s go.”
However, the Hawaiian stressed: “No, I’m not f*****g going to Rio. Fight in Las Vegas or something. We fight on my terms. We fight on my terms, brother.
“We went to Rio, we did that with the ‘King of Rio’, now it’s my turn to have a say,” Holloway added, referencing his 2016 title win against Jose Aldo in enemy territory. Aldo in fact announced his retirement in Rio on Saturday, laying down his gloves in the Octagon.
“When you fight the King of Rio in some place, you take his village, right?” Holloway continued. “You guys might be looking at the King of Rio. Just saying, check the receipts.
“Hawaii ain’t never going to have a fight. You got to get over that. Chances of Hawaii having a fight with me on it is f*****g zero, boys. I’m sorry. I am so sorry, but it is what it is. That’s just the honest truth.
“We don’t have a stadium to hold it, and even if there is [going to be one], they have to start building now, which is going to take years – a couple of years, and that’s not counting if they run into problems. So, we’re cooked.”
On a more positive note, he said of a potential rematch with Oliveira: “We’re pretty close to fighting in March. It’s very possible. Pretty close, but very possible for sure.”
Holloway, 33, did rule out a potential fight at the planned White House event in July, in any case.
“The White House card is just so far away,” Holloway said. “It’s like a year [from my last fight], boys. I don’t know if I want to wait that long, but we’ll see what happens.
“Never say never, [but] it’s so far away. If we take that fight, it’s almost going to be a year I’m out of competition – if the fight happens on the White House card.”
Holloway last fought in July, outpointing old rival Dustin Poirier in the latter’s final fight – and in the American’s home state of Louisiana. With that, Holloway retained the ‘BMF’ title and avenged two losses to Poirier, who submitted the Hawaiian in 2012 and outpointed him in 2019.
