Charles Oliveira

Unfortunately, Charles Oliveira’s complete domination of Max Holloway won’t get the credit it deserves, because it couldn’t live up to the ethos of the belt the two were fighting for. If this fight was a regular number 1 contender bout, people would be raving about how nobody has ever shut out Max Holloway in this fashion. Alas, we are left with disappointment that two beloved legends didn’t go at each other Rock’em Sock’em robots style.

Oliveira may have earned a title shot in any other division, but it’s hard to picture the UFC throwing him back in there with Ilia Topuria given how the first fight ended. For that reason, I don’t think Do Bronx will simply wait. They could book him against Conor McGregor next, but I’ll believe a McGregor return when I see it. Until then, I see no reason to matchmake for him

The only other name I believe to be a viable one is Benoit Saint Denis. He’s on a four-fight win streak, ranked inside the top five and fights with the energy fans want from a BMF contender.

Oliveira’s next fight: Benoit Saint Denis

Caio Borralho

Reinier de Ridder and Caio Borralho met in a matchup between two top10 contenders looking to bounce back from deflating losses. It was the Brazilian who came out on top, earning 30-27s across the board. Borralho called out Dricus Du Plessis and while that isn’t a bad callout, I’m not sure it will work out timing wise. DDP hasn’t fought since last August, so you have to think he’s chomping at the bits to get back in there.

An April or May return is a fair timeline for Du Plessis’s return, which is probably too soon for Borralho who just went 15 hard minutes with RDR. I think the winner of the upcoming Roman Dolidze vs Christian Leroy Duncan fight would make a fun fight.

Borralho’s next fight: Dolidze/Leroy Duncan winner

Raul Rosas Jr.

Maybe the fact that he came into the UFC as an 18-year-old clouded our judgement of what Raul Rosas Jr‘s career trajectory should’ve looked like by now. Because while it’s undeniably impressive to defeat Rob Font at 21 years of age, Rosas Jr. still only landed eight significant strikes to Font’s ten. This is by far the best name on Rosas Jr.’s resumé, but it’s quite clear that he’s still very green in his development.

Nevertheless, he will enter the rankings come Tuesday’s update and will have no choice but to try and swim with the sharks. I think Marlon Vera is the most rankings-appropriate fight that could be made while also being winnable for Rosas Jr. The UFC could even make it a main event, so as to see whether Rosas Jr.’s cardio can go five rounds.

Rosas Jr.’s next fight: Marlon Vera

Drew Dober

The UFC knew they would have a guaranteed KO when they paired Drew Dober and Michael Johnson together. Unsurprisingly, the fight delivered and ended in the second round when Dober caught Johnson with a clean left hand. Dober is one of those important types of fighters that promotions need. He’s a guaranteed action fight that can help boost any card’s violence quotient. A fight between Dober and Jalin Turner would’ve made sense when they were both ranked a few years ago and it still makes sense now. It’s a perfect prelim fight for International Fight Week.

Dober’s next fight: Jalin Turner

Gregory Rodrigues

After Brunno Ferreira put Gregory Rodrigues to sleep in his UFC debut over three years ago, it was Rodrigues who got his revenge this time around. Hard to be more efficient, as it took “Robocop” only two significant strikes to separate Ferreira from consciousness. Rodrigues has garnered momentum more than once before seeing his win streaks end to Armen Petrosyan, Brunno Ferreira and, most recently, Jared Cannonier. I think Robert Whittaker represents the right kind of test since there are questions surrounding Bobby Knuckles after he lost two consecutive fights for the first time as a middleweight. It would also make for a good co-main event on the upcoming Perth Fight Night card.

Rodrigues’ next fight: Robert Whittaker

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With Holloway’s “BMF” belt on the line, Oliveira grappled his way to victory, attempting numerous submissions of Holloway that, while none succeeded, kept him on his back most of the fight.

“He’s a great, tough fighter, someone I respect a lot, but I want to do what I do best, which is like we say in Brazil, make nothing out of people,” Oliveira (37-11, 1NC), the new BMF champ, told media outlets including Cageside Press following the fight.

In response to the mixed reaction from fans following the fight, which included boos, Oliveira admitted that “I heard that, but these are two guys that just love the game. We’re very passionate about what’s going on. These are two great guys fighting each other. Maybe they didn’t want to see that kind of fight, but we wanted to be there. Most important thing, we got that belt, we’re taking it home.”

Despite hinting he might not do it, Oliveira did give Holloway a point-down moment at the end of the fight, giving “Blessed” a chance to steal the win back.

“I know that Max talked about he, he said ‘listen, you give the opportunity to the other guy when you’re winning the fight,'” noted Oliveira, who had Holloway tied up alongside the fence towards the end. “Then I heard it [the 10 second clapper], and he said ‘it’s 10 seconds to go, let’s go.’ Let’s make it happen then.”

Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz both took Oliveira to task for his performance at UFC 236, with Diaz referring to the main event as “Boring Mother F*ckers.” Oliveira confirmed that he has his sights on the lightweight title next, but is open to defending the BMF belt as well.

“I want the title, I want that lightweight belt. I’ve said this all along, let’s wait for the fight at the White House, that’s what I want to do,” stated Oliveira. In response to McGregor, who questioned the decision to force fighters to cut to lightweight for the BMF title, he added “you want to put him 170, you want to put him up there? I don’t care. If you want to put him at middleweight, do it. It doesn’t matter.”

“If you want, make it a grand prix. Just put two fights the same day and see what happens.”

The odd man out at lightweight right now is Arman Tsarukyan, which might benefit Oliveira in terms of his title aspirations. Tsarukyan pulled out of a title fight on short notice last year, and has become viewed as a liability after getting into altercations with a fan, an opposing wrestling under the Real American Freestyle banner, and fellow lightweight Dan Hooker.

“People sell fights differently. You’ve got to sell fights in a different way. You can’t behave in certain ways. Some people just do stuff, they go up in the octagon, and they just do different things inside and outside the octagon as well that just puts them in different positions,” Oliveira told Cageside Press. “Me, I do what needs to be done. I got this fight, I fought Max, I did to him something that other people were not able to do. Again, other people pick up the microphone and say stupid stuff. So you’ve got to do the things you need to do to get those fights correctly.”

He also revealed he was willing to be a backup for the Freedom 250 card at the White House, where lightweight champ Ilia Topuria faces Justin Gaethje.

“For sure, I can be a backup. Let’s make some money.”

Watch the full UFC 326 post-fight press conference with Charles Oliveira above.

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The answer, most likely, is “very little.”

That first fight was not only more than a decade ago, back in 2015 in chilly Saskatoon in Canada, but it had seen Oliveira go down early due to injury. The nature of that injury, which seemed to involve the Brazilian’s neck, was never fully explained, but in the years that followed, both men worked their way to divisional titles: Holloway first, at featherweight, then Oliveira at lightweight.

Holloway now holds the UFC’s symbolic “BMF” title, and was putting it on the line for the second time in the UFC 326 main event.

The two fan favorites opened round one meeting in the middle, with Charles Oliveira landing two hard low kicks. Holloway quickly responded, firing multiple jabs straight to the nose of his opponent. In response, Oliveira exploded in the pocket, landing a series of hooks that forced the Hawaiian to clinch with the decorated Brazilian.

Charles took advantage of the engagement, picking up Holloway and slamming him to the canvas into top control. Now in his comfort zone, Oliveira began working on the mat, landing short strikes while passing Holloway’s guard. Max, attempting to build back up, gave his back to the Brazilian where it was nearly lights out for “Blessed.” Charles locked in his first submission attempt, then another, followed by a neck crank, but Holloway defended them all and even flashed a smile afterward, seemingly taking a small moral victory.

Back to the action in round two, Holloway opened on the feet with his quick jab, trying to regain momentum from the first. The success was short-lived, however, as Oliveira shot a well-timed takedown on an off-balance Holloway, driving him into the cage and quickly taking his back with little defense from “Blessed.”

Another rear-naked choke was attempted but quickly abandoned by “Do Bronx,” who transitioned into a brutal series of elbows. Each strike from Oliveira forced Holloway to react, opening another opportunity for the Brazilian to threaten his fourth rear-naked choke in the first eight minutes of the fight. Holloway was once again able to survive the submission attempts, but with two rounds in the bank, Oliveira appeared firmly in control.

Highlighted by a few television blackouts across the world, the action continued on a familiar pattern as Oliveira landed a massive judo toss to bring “Blessed” to the mat. Holloway, worn down by this point, prioritized submission defense and positioning rather than trying to scramble back to his feet. Content with the control against a defensive Holloway, “Do Bronx” cruised his way to another clear 10-9 round.

Now in deep waters, round four began with both fighters exchanging on the feet for the first 30 seconds, giving fans glimpses of the striking battle many had hoped to see. Holloway landed a clean shot up the middle that slightly stunned the Brazilian, but it ultimately led to “Do Bronx” shooting along the cage. Max briefly defended the attempt, though Oliveira eventually regained top position for the remainder of the round, punishing “Blessed” with elbows and ground strikes.

In serious trouble of losing his belt down four rounds to none, Max Holloway entered the fifth and final round needing a finish. Charles exploded out of his corner, landing a right hook on Holloway before changing levels for another takedown. Holloway finally found some success in the grappling exchange, reversing Oliveira and briefly gaining top control. However, he was unable to generate much offense, as Charles stayed extremely active from the bottom before eventually reversing the position and returning to top control for the final minutes of the fight.

In the closing seconds, fans got a brief taste of what the BMF title is all about. Holloway escaped Oliveira’s grasp and pointed to the center for the final five seconds. Hawaii’s very own cracked Oliveira with a right hand as the clock hit zero, but there simply wasn’t enough time to do any real damage.

A mix of boos and cheers rained down as a dominant performance from Charles “Do Bronx” Oliveira was rewarded with the BMF title, scoring a unanimous decision victory over Max “Blessed” Holloway.

Despite tonight’s announcement of the White House card, Charles Oliveira remains focused on being part of what could become the biggest event of the year. The Brazilian superstar improves to 37-11, adding another piece of hardware to his crowded collection of mixed martial arts greatness.

Official Result: Charles Oliveira def. Max Holloway by unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)

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Fans have come to expect barn-burners in BMF fights, with the belt originally created for Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz. When it was resurrected for Dustin Poirier vs. Justin Gaethje 2, the title found new life, and passed on to Max Holloway at UFC 300. Holloway became the first to successfully defend it, in Poirier’s retirement fight last year.

Now it belongs to Oliveira, who barely seemed to be in any danger in the UFC 326 main event, as he fought to a unanimous decision win.

What comes next for “Do Bronxs” gets interesting, as he’s ranked #3 at lightweight to Max Holloway’s #4. Ahead sits Arman Tsarukyan and Justin Gaethje; Gaethje, it was announced during Saturday’s broadcast, will challenge lightweight champ Ilia Topuria next.

With Arman Tsarukyan getting the cold shoulder from the UFC since pulling out of a title fight last year (and head butting Dan Hooker at weigh-ins, and getting into a brawl at RAF), there’s a good chance Oliveira can skip the line. What to do with the BMF belt, then? Retire it? Let Conor McGregor have a go at it, should he ever return?

Following UFC 326, tune in for the night’s post-fight press conference above!

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In another era, one where the bulk of the fanbase still had to shell out over fifty bucks per numbered event on PPV, UFC 326 could be argued to be a “weak” card. And it most certainly lives and dies by its main event, which sees Holloway rematch Charles Oliveira more than a decade on from their first encounter in chilly Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in Canada.

Both fighters would go on to win champions, both would become some of the UFC’s most storied stars. Both took the long road to their titles, Holloway’s a wee bit shorter after dethroning Jose Aldo. And “Blessed” now holds “BMF” gold, a symbolic title that has perhaps more meaning when adorning a man known to point to the floor in the final 10 seconds of his fight, whether he’s winning or losing, encouraging his opponents to throw caution to the wind and just swing.

That, ladies and gentleman, is the very spirit of the BMF championship. It might have been made for Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal, but there’s no bigger BMF than Holloway in this sport. If you weren’t sure of that, he defeated Justin Gaethje to win it, and Dustin Poirier to retain, becoming the first man to ever defend the title.

The rest of UFC 326? There are some good fights. Rob Font and Raul Rosas Jr. will finally throw down. Drew Dober gets Michael Johnson in what should be a fun scrap. Does anyone expect Gregory Rodrigues vs. Brunno Ferreira not to end in violet fashion?

Weigh-ins for UFC 326 go down Friday in Las Vegas, kicking off at 12PM ET, 9AM PT. Results can be found below. 

UFC 326: Holloway vs. Oliveira 2 Weigh-In Results

Main card

Lightweight: Max Holloway (c) (155.5) vs. Charles Oliveira (156)  – for the UFC “BMF” Championship
Middleweight: Caio Borralho (186) vs. Reinier de Ridder (185.5)
Bantamweight: Rob Font (136) vs. Raul Rosas Jr. (135.5)
Lightweight: Drew Dober (156) vs. Michael Johnson (155.5)
Middleweight: Gregory Rodrigues (186) vs. Brunno Ferreira (184)

Preliminary card

Bantamweight: Cody Garbrandt (136) vs. Xiao Long (135.5)
Middleweight: Donte Johnson (185.5) vs. Cody Brundage (185.5)
Featherweight: Ricky Turcios (146) vs. Alberto Montes (145.5)
Flyweight: Cody Durden (125.5) vs. Nyamjargal Tumendemberel (125.5)

Early preliminary card

Flyweight: Su Mudaerji (126) vs. Jesús Santos Aguilar (125.5)
Light Heavyweight: Rafael Tobias (204) vs. Diyar Nurgozhay (205.5)
Featherweight: Lee Jeong-yeong vs. Gaston Bolaños (145.5)
Light Heavyweight: Luke Fernandez (205) vs. Rodolfo Bellato (204.5)

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While not a real championship in terms of divisions or rankings, the symbolic “BMF” (that’s Baddest Motherf*cker, for those unaware) championship denotes the toughest among tough guys. Created for Jorge Masvidal vs. Nate Diaz back in 2019, it has since become the “cool” title to have.

The belt was originally supposed to be a one-off, but the UFC dusted the title off in 2023 when Justin Gaethje defeated Dustin Poirier for it. Holloway then defeated Gaethje in a classic moment at UFC 300 that saw “Blessed” pointing to the canvas in the final ten seconds of the fight, urging Gaethje to brawl before knocking him out cold.

Holloway followed that up by becoming the first man to defend the belt, against Poirier in the latter’s retirement fight last summer.

The point-down gesture has become a Holloway trademark, one that represents the Hawaiian giving his opponents the opportunity to get back in the fight. Just don’t expect Oliveira to return the favor should he be ahead in the fight come Saturday.

“I don’t know bro. All I do, I want to win, that’s it,” Oliveira told Cageside Press during Thursday’s UFC 326 pre-fight press conference. “That’s the real answer.”

Holloway, however, has already given Oliveira his dues as a fellow BMF. “Dude’s a legend. Dude’s a legend. A lot of people are making this a striker versus grappler match. A lot of his subs, before he’s submitting guys he’s killing these guys on the feet. Striking them, hurting them,” Holloway stated on Thursday. “He’s a BMF in my eyes, can’t wait to see him.”

It’s lightweight gold, not the BMF belt (which has traditionally been contested at lightweight) that Holloway has in his sights.

“I got another undisputed title on my mind right now. I want to be a two-division champ,” the former featherweight champion said. “They’re saying this BMF title makes me a two division champ, I don’t believe them. I want that gold. So first things first, it’s Charles Oliveira.”

UFC 326 takes place on Saturday, March 7, 2026 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Holloway vs. Oliveira 2, a rematch of their 2015 fight in Saskatoon, headlines.

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Call this an experiment of what UFC fans are willing to accept at a numbered event in the Paramount+ era. With PPV fees now gone for the vast majority of fight fans (sorry, Canada), does every numbered card need a title fight or two? In years gone by, the UFC would have non-title fights headlining some of their biggest events. In the modern era, however, it became a sort of accepted fact that a PPV card needed a title to legitimize it, with arguably Conor McGregor (in his fights with Nate Diaz and Cowboy Cerrone) being the main exception.

UFC 326 does have a title, the BMF title, and it’s not the first time that has headlined an event. But there is no co-main event that even comes close to filling in as a headliner if Max Holloway vs. Charles Oliveira falls through. Of course, the same can be said for UFC 318, where Holloway defended his BMF belt opposite Dustin Poirier. That card, however, doubled as Poirier’s retirement fight; neither “Blessed” nor “Do Bronxs” are likely to retire this weekend win or lose.

Unlike 2025, however, no one outside an unlucky few is stuck paying upwards of $50 for UFC 326. There’s an argument to be made that the UFC can and should go back to putting just plain fun fights atop certain events (Jon Jones vs. Alex Pereira, with Tom Aspinall out due to injury, also comes to mind).

Regardless, UFC 326 arrives in Las Vegas this Saturday, and on Thursday, the top stars assembled for the pre-fight press conference, which you can catch in the live stream above. It all goes down starting at 8PM ET, 5PM PT.

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Holloway (27-8) sees it differently. To the Hawaiian star, this isn’t a clash of styles but a meeting of two complete mixed martial artists.

“I think he’s a BMF. I think it’s fitting for sure. A lot of people are making this fight to be a striker versus grappler. They got it all wrong,” Holloway told reporters including Cageside Press on Wednesday.

“He was a Jiu-Jitsu guy before and now he’s an MMA guy. A lot of his submission wins have been coming from striking first. He’s hurting these guys on the feet then he’s submitting them. That’s pretty BMF thing to do. Nothing but love for him.”

“At the end of the day the first fight it was a let down. I’m not going to even lie about it. I think a lot of people is disappointed and I think a lot of people don’t even count it. It’s on the record, but it is what it is. We’re here, we get to right that wrong, and I’m excited for it,” he said.

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there. It would be cool to have two of the, but they’re making everybody only have one belt,” Holloway said.

“The one belt that I’m going to drop is definitely gonna be the BMF one when we get that undisputed one.”

Watch the entire media day scrum with Max Holloway above. He defends his BMF title against Charles Oliveira at UFC 326 on Saturday night.

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So much has changed since that night in 2015, which saw Oliveira (36-11, 1NC) exit the featherweight fight early due to a neck injury. Holloway went on to win the UFC’s featherweight championship, and now holds the largely symbolic “BMF” title. Oliveira took a little longer to reach the pinnacle of the sport, but captured lightweight gold in 2021.

The BMF belt, however, is a different sort of accolade.

“For sure, this is a title, this is a belt, the opportunity to take it down to Brazil, something that has never been done before by a Brazilian athlete. When I talk about legacy, and getting things, the records and everything else, that’s what I’m talking about,” Oliveira told media outlets including Cageside Press during Wednesday’s UFC 326 media day.

Max Holloway, it has been said, has legitimized the BMF title, embodying what it means to be the “baddest” in a sport among tough guys.

“I think each and every fighter that actually has held it is important,” observed Oliveira, before admitting that “now Max has found a way to give even more importance to a belt like that.”

What makes one worthy to fight for the BMF belt? According to Oliveira, “everything that’s done inside of the cage. The wars, the bonuses, the records, everything else. All those things, and who they are, qualify them to fight for the BMF.”

Oliveira himself certainly qualifies. He leads the UFC in submissions all time. He’s a former champion. He holds fourteen post-fight bonuses, has 21 finishes overall, another UFC record, and has held the featherweight submissions record for over a decade since leaving the weight class.

Looking back at his first fight against Holloway, Oliveira didn’t make any excuses. “The first fight between us, let’s kill that one. He won that, that’s it. It’s two great fighters, two legends, two guys that put on a show. We’re going to put on a great show on Saturday.”

Oliveira has been working with former UFC star Demian Maia, another submission specialist and grappler, ahead of UFC 326. He spoke on that with Cageside Press.

“This is huge, and I just want to remind everybody, this is not jiu-jitsu, we’re actually doing MMA. So it’s important to have somebody like him that obviously, we put the work together, we got together, we made it happen, we dedicated ourselves to this. It’s so good to actually have somebody saying positive things, pulling you up, helping you out. It was so cool to have him in a second camp.”

Of late, Oliveira has mentioned a return to 145lbs. Don’t bank on it, as he said he was “Joking around, tossing ideas. Get the the BMF then get the title at lightweight, maybe go back to 145, I don’t know.”

“One step at a time. Maybe there’s a possibility out there.”

Jim Miller is chasing 30 wins under the UFC banner, could Oliveira give him a run for his money? It’s possible, “Do Bronxs” said on Wednesday.

“The truth is, as long as I’m happy doing this, as long as I can continue to feel it, I’ll continue to do it. You get three, four fights a year. Maybe you just get two. As long as I continue to feel it— I have some promises I don’t want to break, in this business. I want to continue.”

Then there’s a potential fight with Conor McGregor, should Oliveira claim gold this weekend. A fight he admits would mean more to his bank account than to his legacy. “To fight Conor, it would be for the money. That’s it. Simply that.”

Watch the UFC 326 media day appearance by Charles Oliveira above.

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That main event will see Max Holloway (27-8) put his “BMF” title on the line against Charles Oliveira (36-11, 1NC) in a lightweight fight.

Both men were on hand for Friday’s “It’s Time” press conference, while unveiled the UFC’s Q1 2026 schedule. Among the big events announced, UFC 326 will take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Holloway claimed the “BMF” title by defeating Justin Gaethje in the final second of their UFC 300 classic, and after a loss to Ilia Topuria for 145lb gold, defended the “Baddest Motherf*cker” belt opposite Dustin Poirier at UFC 318 this past summer.

What was once designed to be a one-off, symbolic title for Jorge Masvidal vs. Nate Diaz in 2019 has since become one of the UFC’s smartest promotional moves. Akin to an extent to their old “SuperFight” title, it allows the company to elevate a great match-up to a title fight without holding up any particular weight class.

Thus far, all BMF title fights have come in the lightweight division.

Oliveira was last seen submitting Mateusz Gamrot atop the UFC Rio card in October. The former UFC lightweight champion and ex-featherweight champ Holloway first crossed paths in 2015, with Holloway winning a featherweight main event at UFC Saskatoon in 2015. A slight asterisk comes with that, as Oliveira suffered an esophagus injury in the bout.

UFC 326 takes place on March 7, 2026 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

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