Three Fights Charles Oliveira Should Take After UFC 331

Charles Oliveira steps into UFC 331 in Los Angeles with his second crack at Arman Tsarukyan, but the lightweight landscape beyond April already offers three clear targets. The Brazilian holds more finishes than any fighter in UFC history — 20 — and whether he reclaims contender status or slides further from title contention, the road ahead features compelling stylistic tests and narrative payoffs.

1. Islam Makhachev trilogy bout (if Oliveira wins at UFC 331)
This is the fight. Oliveira holds a submission win over Makhachev from 2010, then dropped two razor-close title fights in 2022 and 2023. A third meeting would settle the pound-for-pound debate once and for all. Makhachev's recent mockery of Ian Garry's training partnership with Oliveira suggests the champion still views "Do Bronx" as the most dangerous threat at 155 pounds. The stylistic clash remains the best in MMA: Oliveira's opportunistic guard against Makhachev's suffocating top control, both men hunting submissions but from opposite tactical angles. If Oliveira beats Tsarukyan convincingly, the UFC would struggle to justify any other lightweight title challenger.

2. Justin Gaethje rematch
Their 2022 title fight ended with Oliveira choking Gaethje unconscious in the first round, but Gaethje has since rebuilt his case with wins over Dustin Poirier and Rafael Fiziev. A rematch would serve dual purposes: eliminate one contender and give Gaethje a chance to prove he can survive the ground exchanges that buried him three years ago. Gaethje's pressure wrestling has improved under Trevor Wittman, setting up a tactical riddle — can he avoid the clinch traps Oliveira sets along the fence, or will the Brazilian drag him back into deep water? The fight sells itself on violence potential alone.

3. Max Holloway at catchweight or 155
If Oliveira loses to Tsarukyan and needs a name-value reset, Holloway represents the rare cross-divisional spectacle that makes sense. Holloway's lightweight debut against Poirier in 2019 proved he can carry the weight, and his recent BMF title win over Gaethje positioned him as the sport's most marketable action fighter. Oliveira's camp has already rejected Diego Lopes' push for a BMF defense, but Holloway is a different tier of draw. The matchup would pit Oliveira's submission chains against Holloway's defensive scrambling and cardio — a five-round chess match where neither man would quit. It would need to happen at a catchweight near 160 pounds to protect both fighters' bodies, but the UFC has shown willingness to bend weight rules for marquee spectacles.

Oliveira turns 36 in October, which means his championship window is narrowing. These three fights offer the clearest paths to either reclaim gold or cement a Hall of Fame legacy on his own terms. The Tsarukyan result will determine which road opens first.