Charles Oliveira hopes to earn a shot at the UFC lightweight championship with a UFC 326 win over BMF titleholder Max Holloway on March 7 in Las Vegas, but he doesn’t expect Ilia Topuria to still be the 155-pound kingpin by then.
The UFC has yet to announce fights for the upcoming event on the White House lawn on June 14, and “do Bronx” believe that card will end up featuring a lightweight unification bout between Topuria and interim champion Justin Gaethje.
“I’m one fight away [from a title shot], but right now I’m focused on one thing only: Max Holloway” Oliveira told Olhar da Luta. “But if we’re going to speculate like everyone else, I think the White House event will have Topuria and Gaethje. That’s my take. And I think Topuria has every chance in the world to knock Gaethje out and keep the belt. Then I think by the end of the year he fights Makhachev for the [welterweight] title and vacates his belt.”
Makhachev recently said he didn’t rule out being part of the White House event but said it would not be against Topuria. Oliveira, who remains focused on his UFC 326 main event bout, Makhachev vs. Topuria is too big for the UFC to pass if they both come out victorious from their upcoming fights.
“I think that Topuria vs. Islam fight happens, but not at the White House,” Oliveira said. “I think it happens later in the year. It’s definitely something Topuria wants, and Islam has been talking about it too, so it’s a fight that will make a lot of money and a lot of people will want to see.”
Topuria won the featherweight belt by knocking out Alexander Volkanovski in 2024 and defended it once later that year, finishing Max Holloway, before moving up to lightweight in 2025 to stop Oliveira inside one round to claim the vacant title. With Topuria possibly out of the picture by the second half of 2026, Oliveira sees a clear path to regain the title.
“So if I win now [at UFC 326], I’m definitely next in line for the title,” Oliveira said. “Then they just have to see who will be the other guy.”
