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          Gamrot stepping in for injured Fiziev to face Oliveira at UFC Rio

          • Brett OkamotoSep 23, 2025, 05:14 PM ET
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              Brett Okamoto has reported on mixed martial arts and boxing at ESPN since 2010. He has covered all of the biggest events in combat sports during that time, including in-depth interviews and features with names such as Dana White, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz, Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and Georges St-Pierre. He was also a producer on the 30 for 30 film: "Chuck and Tito," which looked back at the careers and rivalry of Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. He lives in Las Vegas, and is an avid, below-average golfer in his spare time.
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          Former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira will now face Mateusz Gamrot in his highly anticipated homecoming next month.

          Oliveira (35-11) will square off with Gamrot (25-3) in the main event of UFC Fight Night on Oct. 11 in Rio de Janeiro, officials announced Tuesday. It will mark Oliveira's first appearance in Brazil since March 2020. He was originally supposed to face Rafael Fiziev, but Fiziev withdrew last week due to injury.

          The UFC looked into several replacement opponents for Oliveira, sources told ESPN. For his part, Gamrot publicly called for Oliveira on short notice. Gamrot is 4-1 in his last five appearances, with his only loss coming to ranked contender Dan Hooker in August 2024. Gamrot holds notable wins over Rafael dos Anjos, Fiziev and Arman Tsarukyan.

          Oliveira is looking to bounce back from a knockout loss to Ilia Topuria in a vacant title fight in July.

          The UFC ranks Oliveira and Gamrot the Nos. 4 and 8 lightweights in the organization's divisional rankings, respectively. The UFC Fight Night event will take place in Farmasi Arena.