Charles Oliveira to Defend BMF Title Against Diego Lopes at UFC 335 on December 12

Charles Oliveira will make the first defense of his BMF title against fellow Brazilian Diego Lopes at UFC 335 on December 12 in Las Vegas, with Lopes moving up to lightweight for the opportunity.

Oliveira, 37, won the BMF belt with a unanimous decision over Max Holloway in the main event of UFC 326 on March 7, going the full five rounds. It was his second straight win after a second-round submission of Mateusz Gamrot in October 2025, which followed a first-round knockout loss to Ilia Topuria in a title fight at UFC 317. He holds a 37-11 record and sits third in the lightweight rankings and 11th in the pound-for-pound list. A Chute Boxe Diego Lima product, Oliveira lands 3.35 significant strikes per minute at 54 percent accuracy and averages 2.6 submission attempts per 15 minutes, a rate that underlines his grappling threat.

Lopes, 31, is 28-8 and ranked second at featherweight. He is coming off a second-round knockout of Steve Garcia at UFC Freedom 250 on June 14, which came after a unanimous decision loss to Alexander Volkanovski in a title fight at UFC 325 in January. Before that, he stopped Jean Silva in the second round in September 2025. Lopes trains at Lobo Gym MMA and lands 3.83 significant strikes per minute, higher than Oliveira's rate, though his accuracy sits at 47 percent. His takedown average of 0.88 per 15 minutes is well below Oliveira's 2.22.

Why it matters

• Lopes enters at lightweight as a top-two featherweight, adding a division jump to an already high-profile fight.
• Oliveira is defending the BMF belt for the first time since taking it from Holloway.
• The numbers point to a clear contrast: Lopes holds a slight edge in striking volume, while Oliveira brings more takedown and submission activity.
• Oliveira has a one-inch height edge at five-foot-ten to Lopes' five-foot-eleven in reverse: Lopes is the taller man by one inch, but Oliveira owns a two-inch reach advantage, 74 inches (188 cm) to 72 (183 cm).

The age gap is six years, with Oliveira at 37 and Lopes at 31. Both fighters are on winning streaks heading into December, Oliveira with two straight and Lopes coming off back-to-back knockouts in his last two wins.