Charles Oliveira is going to need a new dance partner for next month’s UFC Rio main event.
On Friday, it was revealed that lightweight Rafael Fiziev was out of his fight with Oliveira, set to headline the UFC’s return to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on October 11, 2025.
Octagon Update was first to report news of Fiziev’s withdrawal, which is reportedly due to injury.
Fiziev (13-4) missed all of 2024 due to injury, but returned earlier this year, and has posted a 1-1 record in 2025 with a loss to Justin Gaethje, and most recently a win over Ignacio Bahamondes. The Gaethje bout, a rematch, picked up a Fight of the Night bonus.
As for “Do Bronx” Oliveira (35-11), the former lightweight champ is looking to bounce back from a loss to Ilia Topuria at UFC 317, which saw the Brazilian fall short in an attempt to claim his old title, vacated by Islam Makhachev.
UFC Rio takes place on October 11, 2025 at the Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The following match-ups have been reported for the event:
- Charles Oliveira vs. TBD
- Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Montel Jackson
- Gabriel Bonfim vs. Randy Brown
- Jhonata Diniz vs. Mário Pinto
- Valter Walker vs. Mohammed Usman
- Vicente Luque vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio
- Jafel Filho vs. Clayton Carpenter
- Lucas Almeida vs. Michael Aswell
- Vitor Petrino vs. Thomas Petersen
- Ricardo Ramos vs. Kaan Ofli
- Lucas Rocha vs. Stewart Nicoll
- Julia Polastri vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz
- Beatriz Mesquita vs. Irina Alekseeva
