Outside Source
Charles Oliveira will look to add the BMF belt to the Chute Boxe trophy case early next year. | Getty/UFC
A few hours after returning from Las Vegas with Charles Oliveira on Monday, Chute Boxe leader Diego Lima shared some thoughts following a backstage meeting with UFC brass.
“Our main focus of that trip was the fight of Charles vs. [Max] Holloway and the BMF announcement. For sure we have three real possibilities of belts for Chute Boxe in 2026, with Charles, Norma [Dumont] and [Ian] Garry,” Lima said.
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Diego revealed that Oliveira will start his camp for UFC 326 on Jan. 3.
“Charles lives one-and-a-half hours from our academy. For this camp he will do the same he did with [Mateusz] Gamrot. He will get a hotel close to the academy to be 100% focused in that camp,” Lima said.
Lima made it clear that Oliveira’s focus is to capture the BMF belt, not revenge for the first fight 11 years ago.
“We never go after names, but rather achievements, and Holloway currently holds the BMF belt, so it’s a perfect match,” he said. “Actually the first fight didn’t [really] happen since Charles had a serious injury and stayed more than one week in a Canadian hospital . The fact is that both have evolved a lot in these 11 years. They are two fighters who [have come to define the sport], so it has everything to be one of the best fights of 2026.”
High Hopes for Garry, Dumont
Regarding Ian Garry‘s division, Lima said that he believes his athlete will fight the champion next, with Michael Morales facing Carlos Prates and Shavkat Rakhmonov meeting Jack Della Maddalena.
“Garry beat Belal and Prates in sequence and showed that he deserves the belt,” Lima said. “I think Morales and Prates are two knockout artists and it would be a fight that everyone wanted to see, with Shavkat taking on Maddalena. This is the best scenario. Three fights that would certainly please the fans.”
Regarding Norma Dumont, he believes that after six consecutive victories, which propelled her to third place in the UFC women’s flyweight rankings, his athlete should be chosen as the reserve for the fight between Kayla and Amanda Nunes.
“She has one of the longest winning streaks in the UFC today, beating very tough opponents, showing great tactical intelligence, so I think it would be deserved that she be chosen as the reserve for the title shot,” Lima said. “And if she has to fight again before that, it should be against one of the two fighters ranked above her.”
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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