Oliveira Says The Gaethje Fight 'Has To Happen'

Charles Oliveira has been waiting for the White House result — and now that he has it, he wants the phone to ring.

The BMF champion staked his claim to a Justin Gaethje lightweight title fight this week, framing the matchup as a two-belt occasion with layers of history that go beyond the championship implications. Oliveira holds a submission victory over Gaethje from their UFC 274 meeting in May 2022. He won the BMF belt by stopping Max Holloway in March. He has been patient. He says his turn has arrived.

"I made it very clear that I was waiting for the White House event to be over so we could figure out what the next step was. Now we know. The champion is Justin Gaethje, and I definitely want that fight. There's nothing better than putting both belts on the line, the BMF title and the lightweight championship," Oliveira said.

The personal dimension he attaches to the pursuit goes beyond the titles. Oliveira referenced the weigh-in history with Gaethje — he missed weight before their UFC 274 fight, stripping him of the lightweight title before a punch was thrown, meaning Gaethje was the only man who could win the belt that night — and framed the rematch as unfinished business with a specific debt attached to it.

"I'm just waiting for a phone call. They know there's a lot at stake in this fight. There's everything that happened with the weigh-in, the fact that I fought in his backyard and that my belt was taken from me there. There's a lot of history behind this matchup. I have a lot of respect for him, just like I respect every opponent, but this fight has to happen," he said.

The obstacle is not the willingness of either man. It is the queue and the uncertainty surrounding Gaethje himself. The new champion hinted at retirement during his post-fight interview on the White House lawn and has since confirmed he will not fight again in 2026, citing a 180-day medical suspension and the physical toll of his two appearances this year. Whether he returns at all is a question that remains genuinely open.

If Gaethje does defend, Arman Tsarukyan is widely considered the frontrunner given his mandatory positioning and his unbeaten record as a contender. Oliveira's case is compelling on narrative and history, but the UFC's ranking structure and the Tsarukyan situation create a practical obstacle that no amount of BMF belt leverage entirely removes.

Oliveira is waiting for a phone call. Whether Gaethje decides to make one — to the UFC, to confirm he is coming back — is the first step in a chain that eventually gets to Brooklyn or wherever the fight lands.

The history is there. The belts are there. The champion is deciding whether he wants any of it.