Former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira went off on Dan Hooker for turning down the UFC Rio headliner.
Charles Oliveira will make a relatively quick turnaround to headline UFC Rio on October 11th against dangerous contender Rafael Fiziev. Oliveira returns to the Octagon for the first time since a knockout loss to Ilia Topuria for the then-vacant UFC lightweight title at UFC 317.
Oliveira’s return comes at a time of uncertainty in the UFC lightweight division. Topuria’s first title defense hasn’t been announced, after Topuria recently shut down a matchup with top contender Arman Tsarukyan.
But Topuria isn’t allegedly the only top lightweight who is turning down fights. Dan Hooker, a UFC fan favorite who has been sidelined with a hand injury in 2025, got on Oliveira’s nerves when he allegedly turned down the chance to be Oliveira’s opponent in Rio.
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Charles Oliveira bashes Dan Hooker and accuses him of turning down UFC Rio fight
During a recent interview with Ag. Fight, Oliveira aimed at Hooker and the rest of the top lightweights.
“I’m not a guy who goes around playing games. But I was offered names, and they didn’t even want it. So today, when you release this, these guys will tweet ‘Coward! I wanted it, he didn’t want it!’. But it’s a lie, my whole life it’s been like this,” Oliveira said.
“They poke around, talk s— from the other side. When I say ‘Come on, I’m here’, they take it and run the other way.
“This guy [Dan Hooker] is also just talking, for a long time. This soap opera, it’s been going on for years. He talked, and talked and talked, and it never happened. So really it’s all talk. That’s the reality. He talked a lot of nonsense, a guy who speaks a lot of nonsense on the internet, but when he’s called, he doesn’t go.”
As of this writing, Hooker hasn’t responded to Oliveira’s claims. Hooker was allegedly offered, but turned down, a fight at UFC Perth opposite Tsarukyan as he continues to recover from his hand injury.
Hooker hasn’t fought since a win over Mateusz Gamrot at UFC 305 last year. The victory propelled Hooker into the Top 5, but his ongoing absence has seen him fall out of the slot.
Oliveira winning at UFC Rio could potentially move him back into the title mix and one step closer to another shot at Topuria. But one UFC Hall of Famer believes Oliveira is returning too soon after the devastating knockout.
UFC legend disagrees with Charles Oliveira’s decision to fight so soon after devastating KO
Daniel Cormier expressed immense concern for Oliveira after comparing his knockout loss to when he fell to Jon Jones by TKO at UFC 214. Cormier revealed he was offered a fight immediately after the Jones loss, which he turned down to recover from the damage he suffered through.
But Oliveira’s defeat to Topuria was one of the few times he’s been knocked out in his legendary UFC career. Before UFC 317, Oliveira’s last TKO/KO loss came against Paul Felder in 2017.
Despite Cormier’s concerns, Oliveira will fight on in his competitive return to Brazil for the first time since 2020.