Oliveira submits Gamrot, calls for Holloway BMF title bout

Charles Oliveira returned to Rio de Janeiro in emphatic fashion, submitting Mateusz Gamrot in the second round to headline UFC Rio on Saturday night, then used his postfight spotlight to call for a high-profile bout with Max Holloway. In a statement inside the Octagon Oliveira turned to UFC executives and demanded a clash for the promotion's BMF title, saying he was willing to fight "anywhere in the world" and pressing for the matchup as early as March. The victory also moved Oliveira back up the lightweight rankings and onto the pound-for-pound list.

Oliveira's second-round submission was his first stoppage over Gamrot and reinforced his bid to re-enter elite contention after a knockout loss to Ilia Topuria. After the win he publicly targeted Holloway, who holds the BMF title, and invited the former featherweight champion to meet him at the planned White House event. At the postfight news conference Oliveira said he was flexible on venue and timing, adding that March would be an ideal date.

Holloway responded on his broadcast by noting their history and questioning Oliveira's past explanation for their 2015 meeting, when Oliveira left the cage with a TKO loss that followed a...