Charles Oliveira vs. Diego Lopes Headlines UFC 335 on December 12
Event: UFC 335 — December 12, 2026, Las Vegas, Nevada
Image credit: UFC.com
The UFC has its December headliner. Charles Oliveira meets Diego Lopes in the main event of UFC 335 on December 12 in Las Vegas, and on paper it is a finisher's fight: between them, 55 of their combined 65 wins ended inside the distance.
Oliveira (37-11-0, 1 NC) needs no introduction. Across his UFC-recorded run he is 25-11 with 17 wins by submission — more tapouts than most fighters have total wins — and an 84% finish rate. He is 5'10" with a 74-inch reach, lands 3.23 significant strikes per minute, and rides a two-fight win streak into this one. His longest win streak, 11 straight, is the kind of run that built a championship reign.
Lopes (28-8-0) is the younger, faster problem. At 5'11" he lands 3.79 significant strikes per minute — a busier output than Oliveira — and finishes 71% of his wins. His average fight lasts 11.6 minutes, which tells you he is comfortable wherever it goes.
The grappling question
This is where the fight likely gets decided. Oliveira has built a career on punishing anyone who engages him on the ground: 17 submission wins in his UFC-recorded bouts. Lopes has one submission win in his recorded UFC run against four knockout wins — he is primarily a striker who can grapple, not a grappler who can strike.
If Lopes keeps it standing and uses his higher output, he has a path. If Oliveira gets his hands on him early, the numbers say the Brazilian finds the neck. That tension — volume striker versus the most prolific submission hunter in the sport — is what makes this a worthy December main event.
What is at stake
Oliveira at 36 is in the legacy-protection phase of his career; every win keeps him one call away from another title shot. Lopes at 28-8 is in the prove-it phase — a win over a former champion changes how the division talks about him overnight.
The full tale of the tape, form guide and prediction: Oliveira vs. Lopes head-to-head preview.
Fight data compiled from public statistical sources (ufcstats.com) and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). OctagonStats is an independent database, not affiliated with UFC / TKO Group.