Charles Oliveira believes he’s just a few big wins away from reclaiming his status as the UFC lightweight champion.Oliveira returns to action this weekend in his native Brazil for the main event of UFC Rio.Oliveira was swamped by fans at Barra Shopping Mall for a public workout in Rio on Wednesday ahead of his huge return to the Octagon this weekendGettyThe 35-year-old lost the chance to reclaim lightweight gold in the main event of UFC 317 four months agoGettyThe 35-year-old faces Mateusz Gamrot in the headline act of UFC Fight Night 261, with a host of Brazilian talent packed on the card.British heavyweight Mario Pinto also features on the main card against Jhonata Diniz.Oliveira is returning just four months after he lost the chance to reclaim gold against Ilia Topuria at UFC 317, where he was viciously knocked out in the first round.The Brazilian, however, remains the UFC’s No. 4-ranked lightweight and one of the deadliest fighters in Dana White‘s promotion. He first won the lightweight title by defeating Michael Chandler in May 2021 on the back end of an 11-fight winning streak, and defended his status once against Dustin Poirier seven months later.Oliveira was then stripped of the title for missing weight before his next victory over Justin Gaethje at UFC 274, before losing the chance to win the belt back against Islam Makhachev.Speaking to talkSPORT.com ahead of his UFC Rio return, Oliveira was confident he could get back to the position of fighting for UFC gold once again.Charles Oliveira: ‘I know I’ll be right back in line’ for UFC title shot“I see my path toward the title the same way as I’ve always focused on it, keeping my spirit alive, keeping my focus alive, taking one step at a time,” Oliveira said.“Right now, the step in front of me is October 11 against Mateusz Gamrot at UFC Rio.“It’s a huge fight. So I have to be at my best, happy, daring, ready to make history by winning this fight.Oliveira was left beaten and bruised after his first-round KO defeat to Topuria in JuneGettyBut he plans to make it 17-0 in fights in Brazil against Gamrot at UFC Rio to get another shot at the title he once heldGetty“With one or two more big victories after that, I know I’ll be right back in line for the title shot.”Over the course of his 18-year professional MMA career, Oliveira has gone undefeated in 16 fights when competing in Brazil.One of the main reasons he opted for a quick turnaround after his Topuria defeat was to fight in his home country once again.Although Oliveira admitted to not necessarily feeling extra motivated by fighting in Rio, he couldn’t be more excited for the opportunity at his disposal.“It’s not that fighting in Brazil gives you more motivation,” Oliveira explained.“I think it’s been such a long time since I’ve fought at home, in front of my people, in front of my flag. Oliveira is incredibly grateful to be fighting in Brazil once again at the age of 35GettyCharles Oliveira's UFC lightweight title reign2021-2022Def. Michael Chandler via second-round TKO at UFC 262 in May 2021 to win lightweight crownDef. Dustin Poirier via third-round submission at UFC 269 in December 2021 to defend titleDef. Justin Gaethje via first-round submission at UFC 274 in May 2022 but stripped of title after failing to make weightLost. Islam Makhachev via second-round submission at UFC 280 in October 2022 in lightweight title bout“To have the chance to fight in front of my family, especially at this moment. “I think it would be incredibly meaningful, something huge for me, so I’m really happy about it.”Oliveira hopes an emphatic win over Gamrot puts him just one bout away from fighting for the title again.Topuria remains the 155lb champion in the UFC, having not competed since stopping Oliveira at UFC 317.‘El Matador’ hasn’t fought since the impressive win, with Arman Tsarukyan, Paddy Pimblett, and Gaethje all rumoured to be in line for the next title shot.UFC CEO White announced at the start of October that Tsarukyan would headline UFC Qatar against fellow top-ranked lightweight Dan Hooker on November 22. This leaves Pimblett and Gaethje as front-runners for the next title shot, although Oliveira has previously told talkSPORT.com that he believes Tsarukyan deserves it the most.In the build-up to his clash with Gamrot, Oliveira has said this week that he would, unsurprisingly, fight Conor McGregor at the UFC White House card next year.But in terms of his next fight, Oliveira has named a BMF title bout with Max Holloway as the ideal scenario for the future.Many fans have questioned if Oliveira is considering retirement, but the UFC lightweight star has told MMA Junkie he’s not even thinking about his last fight right now.