Charles Oliveira ‘Duck’ Accusations Ends As New UFC Rio Headliner Vs. Mateusz Gamrot Becomes Official

Fan-favorite fighter Charles Oliveira would be fighting at UFC Rio after all. The Rio main event for the Farmasi Arena was on a fritz, with UFC lightweight contender Rafael Fiziev pulling out due to injury. However, Polish 155-pounder Mateusz Gamrot was campaigning for it, and now he got it.

Over the weekend, the Rio headliner on Oct. 11, Live on ESPN+, was stalled with Fiziev pulling out, due to injury. Charles Oliveira has been angsty for a return in his home territory and asked for this card. Hence, while not naming names, he dissed the lightweight class and contenders like Renato Moicano and Benoit Saint-Denis for ‘lying‘ about agreeing to face him and not turning up to scrap.

Oliveira did also directly slam UFC lightweight Dan Hooker for call-ups but (allegedly) refusing the UFC Rio main event slot, AKA UFC Fight Night 261. While nothing was confirmed for the past few days, enter Mateusz Gamrot to the rescue. ‘Gamer’ won the sweepstakes for the headliner earlier today; sources from SBNation Network and USAToday Sports confirmed the date later.

NEW MAIN EVENT ALERT 🚨@CharlesDoBronxs will now face @Gamer_MMA at #UFCRio on October 11! 🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/q9fxMkg50M

— UFC (@ufc) September 23, 2025

The pairing was not new but came as a sidestep for a few, as Oliveira was lobbying hard in favor of a strike-first matchup. Like the one he lost in the (−71 kg bracket; B class) Muay Thai phenom Fiziev. His BJJ game did not prove all-the-way solid against those like Arman Tsarukyan and former #1 P4P, the well-rounded Islam Makhachev.

Despite his domination, even former three-time Bellator Lightweight king and MSHSAA State Championship/NCAA fame, Michael Chandler, survived the onslaught. Oliveira was thus prepping a strike-heavy camp this time, mostly with Fiziev in mind. But it seems ‘Do Bronx’ had soon run up into accusations of ‘ducking’ and now, he does not have an immense amount of bossman privileges, as he once did as a top seed.

🚨 Nova luta principal do #UFCRio confirmada 🚨

🇧🇷 @CharlesdoBronxs enfrenta Mateusz Gamrot em 11 de outubro, no Rio de Janeiro.

Assista ao vivo no @UFCFightPassBR. pic.twitter.com/QXgsQMVhL3

— UFC Brasil (@UFCBrasil) September 23, 2025

Olveira is but just four months removed from his explosive first-round KO loss to #1 Pound-for-pound Ilia Topuria, in his bid to capture the UFC lightweight title again; that could be it. Meanwhile, once a lightweight top-5, Poland’s Mateusz Gamrot is fresh off a win during the same frame in June.

Gamrot was driving up the bargain for this sweet sweepstakes, saying Oliveira is afraid to test it out against pro grapplers again. Now he has his chance to emerge as more than just a top contender if he beats such a legend.

Coach shows off exact moment Mateusz Gamrot got and reacted to Charles Oliveira headliner news

Seemingly, Charles Oliveira is still the Brazil headliner for this slot. So is the #8-ranked UFC Lightweight Mateusz Gamrot, who was ready to challenge the rival in his home, in less than three weeks’ notice.

With Fiziev bounced from the UFC Rio roster, Oliveira (35-11-1) remains as the headliner after one loss to Topuria and a win over Chandler, last November. UFC Rio will be Oliveira’s return to Brazil since 2020 and his first fight in Rio de Janeiro since 2009. Fans there will have a chance to cherish the former UFC 155-pound champion, who is very popular.

But for Team ATT’s Gamrot, it’s a whole new ball game to inherit such a main event — it’s his fourth such headlining spot, but quite the opportunity. His one coach, Lukasz Zaborowski, captured the exact moment the fighter got the news; the matter has gone quite viral on his social handle.

Twój moment @gamer_mma 🇵🇱🇵🇱🇵🇱❤️ Gamer w walce wieczoru a dodatkowo na karcie moja żona, coś pięknego! pic.twitter.com/XMQ4A4d21i

— Łukasz Zaborowski (@Zabooor) September 23, 2025

The Polish contender has quietly built a stout résumé in the 155-pound weight class, winning four of his last five bouts. Most recently, he scored a lopsided win over Ludovit Klein at UFC Vegas 107, improving to 3-0 in UFC main event spots. Gamrot has long felt that his disciplined energy and ground skills have long been overlooked in the 155-pound division. If he gets past someone like Oliveira, that would change in a big way, forever.

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