What's Next: UFC Rio Winners

"Very few Fight Night cards have the energy this that UFC Rio had on Saturday. Headlining the card with one of most beloved fighters of his generation in front of his home crowd was always going to be a great call and something that the promotion can control. But having that fighter deliver a great performance and earn the finish to send the crowd into a frenzy is not in the promotion's control and that's what Charles "Do Bronx" Oliveira pulled off."

"Not even four months removed from his brutal KO loss to Ilia Topuria, the only reason "Do Bronxs" came back so quickly was to fight in his home country of Brazil. Often times, after such a bad loss, older fighters get hesitant to engage and march forward, but not Oliveira. He walked Mateusz Gamrot down, showed him no respect, and sliced through him on the ground. A vintage Do Bronxs performance that warmed the hearts of his fan base."

"Oliveira then called out a fellow future Hall of Famer and former foe, Max "Blessed" Holloway. This battle of the fan favourites has been brewing for some time, but I don't think the timing will ever work as perfectly as it would right now. Two legends of the sport who were bound to rematch and are a perfect fit for the BMF title. It sucks that one of them will have to lose, but at this point, this fight books itself."

UFC Rio produced rare Fight Night energy as hometown main event star Charles "Do Bronx" Oliveira finished Mateusz Gamrot, igniting an ecstatic crowd. Oliveira returned less than four months after a brutal KO loss to Ilia Topuria and adopted an aggressive, forward march that overwhelmed Gamrot on the ground. Oliveira immediately called out Max "Blessed" Holloway, positioning a likely rematch and BMF-title showdown between two fan favorites. Co-main winner Deiveson Figueiredo, nearing 38 and coming off consecutive losses, upset expectations by beating a younger opponent who had won six straight, maintaining his relevance among Brazil's top fighters.

Read at Cageside Press