Robert Whittaker Lays Down Diego Lopes’ Path to BMF Title Fight Win Against Charles Oliveira

A BMF title fight between Charles Oliveira and Diego Lopes will headline UFC 335 set for December. The bout will happen in the lightweight division as Lopes will move up a weight class. Ex-champion Robert Whittaker is not convinced about Oliveira’s chances against a power puncher like Lopes.

The 36-year-old Brazilian won the BMF belt at UFC 326 this year. BMF title fights are usually a striking contest with the occasional grappling sequences. However, Oliveira used his grappling to suffocate then-champion Max Holloway for five rounds.

Holloway’s ground game is not comparable to Lopes. After all, the former title challenger has better techniques than Holloway to escape ground control and threaten submissions. This is why Whittaker thinks that Oliveira may not walk out as the winner at UFC 335.

I don’t think Charles will have the ground superiority that he always has. I think when it comes to toughness, guts and walking people down, Lopes has to be the favorite. Diego Lopes has a bottom offensive jiu-jitsu game. That changes a lot of things… I think if Charles isn’t having his way on the ground and it becomes a slugfest, Lopes is a slugfest loving guy.

Robert Whittaker via MMArcade podcast

👀🏆Robert Whittaker picks Diego Lopes to beat Charles Oliveira in their fight: “I don’t think Charles will have the ground superiority that he always has. Diego has a bottom offensive jiu-jitsu game that Max didn’t. He’s dangerous enough to create openings and get back to his feet. And if Charles can’t have his way on the ground, it becomes a slugfest.” (via @MMArcadePodcast) https://t.co/5DHUhHlu9q

— Full Mount MMA (@MMAFullMount) October 6, 2026

Whittaker admitted that he loved Charles Oliveira just like any other fan, but felt the matchup favored Lopes more. The former middleweight champion believes that Lopes can create openings to cause danger at UFC 335.

Last time Oliveira tried exchanging in the pocket, Ilia Topuria knocked him out cold at UFC 317. Since then, ‘Do Bronx’ used a grappling-heavy strategy against Mateusz Gamrot and Holloway to secure victories.

Meanwhile, Lopes lost twice to Alexander Volkanovski, who used technical striking to outpoint him. At the same time, Lopes seems to have the edge whenever a fight turns into a slugfest. This was evident from his win over Jean Silva at UFC Noche and Steve Garcia at UFC Freedom 250.

‘Do Bronx’ is hoping for another title run this late in his career. It remains to be seen if he can defeat the younger fighter in December and edge one step closer to receiving a title shot.

Diego Lopes says move to lightweight may not be permanent

Ever since winning big at UFC Freedom 250, Lopes wanted to move up a weight class. He spoke about it all the time with UFC brass who were not convinced by the move. Nevertheless, they have booked him for a BMF title bout in the lightweight division next.

Lopes is among the most active fighters in the promotion, fighting multiple times a year. This year, he lost to Volkanovski at UFC 325 before knocking out Steve Garcia at UFC Freedom 250. The bout against Oliveira will be his third fight of the year.

The 31-year-old BJJ black belt spoke with Ariel Helwani about his decision to move up a weight class. At the same time, he revealed that the move to 155 pounds may not permanent yet.

I lost twice to Volk, I won my last fight at 145, and we don’t have a lot of options there right now. So we made the decision to move to 155 and take some fun fights. Now I can do more things. I can take supplements, I can take creatine, I can lift more. I want to feel my power and my strength at 155, and after this fight we’ll see if I stay or go back to 145.

Diego Lopes told Ariel Helwani

Diego Lopes explains why he decided to move up to lightweight after running out of clear options at featherweight: “I lost twice to Volk, I won my last fight at 145, and we don’t have a lot of options there right now. So we made the decision to move to 155 and take some fun fights." Diego says the move may not be permanent and wants to see how his body responds at lightweight. “Now I can do more things. I can take supplements, I can take creatine, I can lift more. I want to feel my power and my strength at 155, and after this fight we’ll see if I stay or go back to 145.”

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) October 6, 2026

The lightweight division is stacked with contenders like Topuria, Oliveira, Paddy Pimblett, Salahdine Parnasse, Quillan Salkilld, and Arman Tsarukyan to name a few.

Meanwhile, the featherweight division has Silva, Movsar Evloev, Kevin Vallejos, Aaron Pico and Lerone Murphy to name a few.

Fans are the big winners as Lopes staying at lightweight or returning to featherweight means they’ll get to see plenty of exciting matchups.

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