Matches To Make: What’s Next For The Big Winners From UFC Rio?

Saturday’s event at Rio de Janeiro’s Farmasi Arena was meant to serve as a love letter to the spiritual home of mixed martial arts. However, after four consecutive defeats for hometown fighters opened the main card, the atmosphere turned to shock and disbelief.

Deiveson Figueiredo managed to halt the skid with a gritty win over Montel Jackson in the co-main event, but once Charles Oliveira made his walk to the Octagon, all was forgiven as the Brazilian crowd finally got their moment of celebration.

Oliveira’s dominant performance and submission win over Mateusz Gamrot blew the roof off the arena, delivering a moment of brilliance reminiscent of José Aldo’s iconic victory over Chad Mendes at UFC 179 eleven years ago.

With the dust now beginning to settle, it’s time to matchmake for the biggest winners from UFC Fight Night 261.

Charles Oliveira

He called for it during his post-fight interview inside the Octagon, and he’s likely to get the matchup he wants. Charles Oliveira (36-11 MMA, 24-11 UFC) vs. Max Holloway (27-8 MMA, 23-8 UFC) for the BMF title is a fight that would excite the entire UFC fanbase—and the timing couldn’t be better.

With both men seemingly excluded from the title picture at 155 pounds following decisive defeats to Ilia Topuria, pairing the two former champions makes all the sense in the world. As we saw when Holloway fought Dustin Poirier at UFC 318 in July, a matchup between two universally respected legends will always capture the imagination of fans, deliver massive interest, and create a moment worthy of main-event status.

Deiveson Figueiredo

With his split-decision win over Montel Jackson in Saturday’s co-main event, former two-time flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo (25-5-1 MMA, 14-5-1 UFC) improved to 4-2 since moving up to the bantamweight division two years ago.

The 37-year-old told ESPN after the fight that he hopes to compete again this year, possibly in a No. 1 contender matchup, while 135-pound champion Merab Dvalishvili hinted in a social media post that the Brazilian could even be next in line for a title shot.

In reality, Figueiredo may need one more victory to enter serious title contention. Saturday’s win snapped a two-fight skid, and a split-decision over the division’s No. 15-ranked fighter could be a tough sell when selecting future contenders.

However, if “Deus da Guerra” were to defeat former bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley (18-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC), his case would become much stronger.

Let’s book it.

Joel Alvarez

Saturday’s win over Vicente Luque marked a successful welterweight debut for Joel Alvarez (23-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC). “El Fenómeno” has now gone 8-1 since losing his UFC debut to Damir Ismagulov in 2019, with his only loss during that stretch coming against Arman Tsarukyan three years ago.

Luque recently fell out of the welterweight rankings, which means Alvarez’s victory may not earn him a spot in the top 15 just yet, but the Spaniard has clearly proven he’s ready to compete for the opportunity.

Geoff Neal (16-7 MMA, 8-5 UFC) has served as a reliable litmus test for rising contenders at 170 pounds, including Ian Machado Garry, Shavkat Rakhmonov, and Carlos Prates. Let’s add Alvarez to that list.