Charles Oliveira’s camp says a UFC next fight is not set, but Diego Lima is pushing for BMF-level matchups

Charles Oliveira’s path back into the Octagon is still a blank page as of late August, according to his head coach and manager, Diego Lima. Lima told MMA Fighting that Oliveira has “absolutely nothing scheduled” right now for a next UFC fight and that he has not begun discussions with UFC officials. The lack of a formal booking does not, Lima suggested, mean the Brazilian is stepping away from the fight conversation; it means he is waiting for the right opponent rather than being pushed toward the easiest option.

The framing matters because Oliveira’s public search for a meaningful next fight has become tied to the sport’s most marketable concept: the “BMF” level matchup. In the same conversation, Lima indicated that Oliveira is not seeking any opponent, but rather names that match the intensity and stakes expected of title-adjacent fights. In other words, the question is not simply “when” Oliveira fights, but “against whom” he believes the matchup earns its place.

Lima pointed to a specific rematch target tied to Oliveira’s title ambitions. The coach said he would like to see Oliveira paired again with Justin Gaethje for a UFC title fight, treating the rematch angle as the kind of high-stakes fight that fits Oliveira’s current worldview. That view also helps explain why an immediate booking is not necessarily the priority, even if Oliveira remains active in public discussion. If a rematch is the goal, the UFC does not always move quickly to align rankings, scheduling, and availability behind one storyline.

At the same time, Lima drew a line on who does not fit the BMF-style standard right now. He said Arman Tsarukyan is not one of the opponents he considers worthy of the kind of BMF title-fight discussions Oliveira wants to have. That comment places Tsarukyan in a different category from Gaethje in the coach’s matchup math, whether because of stylistic expectations, narrative value, or the overall positioning the coach believes Oliveira should hold next.

For Oliveira’s camp, the strategic choice is to avoid becoming a “slot-filler” between larger title pictures and interim-caliber fights. When a fighter and his team publicly emphasize the BMF bar while also stating there is no scheduled bout, it sends a message about leverage. The UFC can fill a fight card window quickly, but a competitor seeking a rematch for the title and insisting that certain opponents do not qualify is effectively asking for more than a routine booking.

The more immediate practical outcome is uncertainty. As Lima described it, there is no scheduled opponent, and there are no active talks yet with UFC leadership. That means any path toward a bout will depend on how quickly the UFC can align its event planning with the matchups Oliveira’s team is indicating they want, including the possibility of revisiting Gaethje and the longer-term placement of other contenders around that storyline.

As this plays out, there are two things to watch. First is whether Oliveira’s camp’s preferred direction, including a title rematch with Gaethje, moves from commentary to formal matchmaking. Second is how the UFC responds to the “not worthy” framing around Tsarukyan, since matchmakers often weigh whether rejecting a named contender accelerates or complicates a fight being built.

Until an official booking is announced, the best-supported takeaway is organizational rather than competitive: Oliveira is not scheduled, the UFC talks are reportedly not underway yet, and Diego Lima is trying to shape the next fight as a BMF-caliber matchup rather than a default contender scrap. If that approach works, the next chapter for Oliveira will likely be tied to a title storyline instead of merely staying busy on short notice.

Source note: The details in this report come from comments attributed to Oliveira’s manager and head coach Diego Lima and relayed by MMA Fighting through Yahoo Sports. Without additional official announcements from UFC or confirmed matchmaking updates, the timing and opponent picture remains fluid.