Oliveira's Coach Explains Why Arman Doesn't Fit a BMF Title Fight

Charles Oliveira has nothing booked and hasn't even opened talks with the UFC, but the current BMF titleholder isn't planning to sit still. His head coach and manager Diego Lima says the 37-11 former lightweight champ — owner of a division-record 22 submissions — wants to be back in the cage before the end of 2026, with the New York card in November or the Las Vegas show in December floated as landing spots.

The complication is timing. Oliveira only recently returned to training after the death of longtime teammate Allan Nascimento earlier this month. Lima says the plan is to open negotiations in roughly two weeks, and while a guaranteed April title shot would be worth waiting for, do Bronx would rather work than rust.

The Belt Comes With a Catch

Here's where it gets interesting. Lima made clear Oliveira's next fight won't automatically put the BMF belt on the line — that depends entirely on the opponent. His logic is blunt: the BMF title isn't a reward for being the toughest guy, it's a promotional tool that needs a name with heavy media pull. Fights he'd defend it against, per Lima, are Gaethje, Diego Lopes and Paddy Pimblett.

Which is exactly why Arman Tsarukyan gets left off that particular list. Lima was careful to say he isn't claiming the #2-ranked Armenian doesn't draw — he called him a strong, interesting matchup. But for a BMF fight specifically, Lima drew a line: no massive media following, no BMF stakes. Tsarukyan, 23-3 with six submissions, meets Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 331 on Sept. 19 in Los Angeles.

The name Oliveira actually wants is Justin Gaethje for the 155-pound crown — a rematch of their 2022 fight in Arizona, which Oliveira won. Lima's dream scenario is a Gaethje bout unifying the lightweight, BMF and White House belts. The problem: Gaethje beat Pimblett and Ilia Topuria earlier this year and isn't expected to defend again in 2026.

There's also the Tsarukyan history to settle. Arman edged Oliveira by split decision at UFC 300 in April 2024, and many fans assumed a rematch was brewing before the Ruffy booking surprised everyone. Lima insists that rematch was never on the table with the UFC. Still, he argues Oliveira — coming off a unanimous-decision win over Max Holloway — is the more marketable Gaethje opponent given the shared history, even if he concedes Arman is right there in the mix.

The other left-field option is Diego Lopes, who's moving up to lightweight after two featherweight title cracks. Lima's pitch is simple: Lopes is explosive, aggressive and sells, and a debut against him would move Oliveira somewhere that matters. Because the ultimate goal, Lima says, is still the belt — everything else is a matter of purse and pathway.