Charles Oliveira holds the UFC record for most submission wins in company history, and at 37 he has proven he still has plenty left in the tank. He beat Max Holloway by unanimous decision at UFC 326 in March to win the BMF title, just like he avenged an earlier loss to Jim Miller back in 2018.
Among his recent high-profile setbacks, Arman Tsarukyan and Ilia Topuria stand out as major unfinished business. So would either of those rivals be his first choice for a rematch? Surprisingly not, because of Islam Makhachev.
The Unfinished Business Behind Charles Oliveira’s Islam Makhachev Callout
Across his 37-fight UFC career, “Do Bronx” has suffered 11 losses. He enters his next bout on a two-fight winning streak and is set to defend his BMF title against Diego Lopes at UFC 335 in December. A victory there would put him right back into the lightweight title picture alongside Tsarukyan, who has long been pushing for a shot at the belt.
Even with so many fresh challenges ahead at 155 pounds, Oliveira still cannot shake one past rival. In a recent video clip, originally posted by 209arthur on Instagram and shared by Championship Rounds on X, an interviewer asked, “If the UFC could give you one more fight that you could rematch in your career, what rematch would you take if it’s one name?” Without pausing, Oliveira answered, “Makhachev.”
Charles Oliveira says if he could avenge just ONE loss in his career, it would be against Islam Makhachev 👀
(via 209arthur/IG) https://t.co/hYZ5hSxwtp
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) November 14, 2026
The 37-year-old Brazilian picked Makhachev despite telling CBS Sports in June 2025 that he had moved on from the rivalry, saying, “I have nothing against him. I’m not looking to fight him again.”
However, the loss that still sits atop Oliveira’s list dates back to October 22, 2022, at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi, where Makhachev won the vacant lightweight title by arm-triangle choke in Round 2. Oliveira had lost his belt on the scales earlier that year before beating Justin Gaethje, so the defeat to the Dagestani cost him his chance to win the title back outright.
Oliveira later admitted the version of himself that night wasn’t who he is as a fighter. The UFC actually booked a rematch for UFC 294 in October 2023, but a bad sparring cut forced Oliveira to pull out just days before fight night, leaving that score unsettled.
Makhachev went on to defend the lightweight crown repeatedly before moving up and winning the welterweight title at UFC 322 in November 2025, beating Jack Della Maddalena, and he has since defended that belt against Ian Garry.
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Why does Oliveira still remember that setback so clearly? Because it ended his 11-fight win streak. When the 35-year-old Dagestani fighter snapped that run, it elevated Makhachev’s status to another level.
In contrast, Oliveira’s losses to Tsarukyan and Topuria do not carry the same unfinished story. He dropped a close split decision to Tsarukyan at UFC 300 and was knocked out by Topuria in a vacant-title bout at UFC 317, yet neither rival ended a historic streak or had a scheduled rematch slip away as Makhachev did at UFC 294.
With Makhachev now ruling the welterweight division, avenging that 2022 defeat remains the one legacy-defining win Oliveira still wants before his career ends.
