Matches To Make After UFC Rio

UFC Rio went down last night (Sat., Oct. 11, 2025) inside Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which saw Charles Oliveira submit Mateusz Gamrot via rear-naked choke in the second round (see it again here). In the co-main event of the evening, Deiveson Figueiredo defeated Montel Jackson via split decision, while Joel Alvarez defeated Vicente Luque via criminally lopsided decision one bout prior.

Winner: Charles Oliveira
Who He Should Face Next: Paddy Pimblett (not Max Holloway)

After Oliveira defeated Gamrot via second round submission, “Do Bronx” called for a fight against Max Holloway, which “Blessed” accepted, though not until mid-2026. I don’t want to wait that long to see Oliveira back in action; therefore, a showdown against Pimblett is one to make since “Baddy” is also on the march toward a championship fight following his knockout win over Michael Chandler at UFC 314 earlier this year (highlights). Pimblett is currently ranked No. 7 and has won all seven of his fights inside the Octagon. This has the makings of a very fun fight that we don’t have to wait nearly a year to enjoy.

Winner: Deiveson Figueiredo
Who He Should Face Next: Sean O’Malley

While it wasn’t a dominant win, Figueiredo’s split decision victory over Jackson was good enough to snap his two-fight skid, giving him some much-needed confidence moving forward. Currently seeded No. 6 in the 135-pound division, Figueiredo can possibly look forward to a fight against former division kingpin, Sean O’Malley. “Suga” is coming off back-to-back title fight defeats, so there is no reason to believe he needs to get a top-ranked foe after that. In Figueiredo, he gets a former champion who can help him get into consideration should he prove victorious.

Winner: Joel Alvarez
Who He Should Face Next: Michael Chiesa

With a successful Welterweight debut under his belt with a win over Luque, Alvarez now goes into his sophomore fight at 170 pounds with a four-fight win streak. I wouldn’t mind seeing him face off against someone as experienced at 170 pounds like Chiesa next. “Maverick” is currently on a three-fight win streak himself, and was last seen defeating Court McGee this past summer. For Alvarez, a win over someone like Chiesa would be a fast-track to getting him into the Top 15.

Winner: Mario Pinto
Who He Should Face Next: Ryan Spann

Pinto improved to 11-0 with his third straight knockout win after stopping Jhonata Diniz with crushing ground-and-pound in the second round. The hulking bruiser is off to a strong start to his UFC career, and has already put the rest of the division on notice. As for Spann, he won his first fight in the Heavyweight division this past summer, defeating Lukasz Brzeski. I like a showdown between these two next to see who takes a nice step toward their march to a coveted spot in the Top 15.

Winner: Kaan Ofli
Who He Should Face Next: Pat Sabatini

Ofli avoided losing his third straight, upsetting Ricardo Ramos via first round submission to record his first win inside the Octagon. As for what could be next for “Genghis,” a showdown against Sabatini sounds about right. Sabatini is currently on a two-fight win streak and was last seen defeating Joanderson Brito earlier this year. Prior to that, he choked out Jonathan Pearce back in Oct. 2024, so he would be a great challenge for the Aussie.