It’s not hyperbole in the slightest to call the UFC 326 main event between Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira a battle of true legends. But that beckons the question: Is this the last time we see both fighters in serious undisputed title talks?
Holloway and Oliveira have done it all in their storied careers, with Holloway establishing himself as one of the three best featherweights of all-time and Oliveira going on a brief, but thrilling lightweight title run in 2021 that felt like just reward for “do Bronx” delivering a lifetime’s worth of in-cage highlights. Neither man needs another championship to justify their place among the immortals. That doesn’t mean they don’t want it.
Ahead of UFC 326 in Las Vegas this Saturday, MMA Fighting’s Damon Martin, Jed Meshew, and Alexander K. Lee ponder whether this marks the final opportunity for Holloway and Oliveira to realistically chase the top prize, plus what to make of the “BMF” title in the current UFC landscape.
1. Is this Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira’s last chance to earn a title shot?
Martin: Never say never when you’re a former champion and very popular with fans.
Dustin Poirier found that out after he was knocked out by Justin Gaethje, and one fight later, beat a barely ranked Benoit Saint Denis to earn another crack at UFC gold. Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira both fit into that same category, although the real hindrance to them isn’t winning or losing at UFC 326 — it’s a bigger roadblock named Ilia Topuria, who both have lost to in the past.
While a loss would certainly serve as a setback, Holloway remains a constant threat to anybody at 155 pounds and considering he had that all-time highlight-reel knockout against Justin Gaethje – the current interim lightweight champion – he’s not going to just fade away no matter what happens UFC 326. It might be a tougher for Oliveira to get back into contention considering he’s gone 3-3 in his past six fights with a pair of title fight losses, but his style combined with his popularity likely keeps Oliveira in that conversation so long as he doesn’t drop multiple fights in a row.
Meshew: Yes, undoubtedly.
Holloway is already a huge anomaly in MMA, because though he’s only 34 years old, he’s been fighting professionally for 16 years. That is an enormous amount of mileage in this sport, and while it seems evident Holloway is on a slight decline, the fact that he’s still this elite despite jumping a weight class is a testament to his greatness. But no matter how great you are, Father Time cannot be outrun, and if he loses to Oliveira, especially this version of Oliveira, I can’t see how he gets back to a title.
As for Oliveira, he’s everything I said about Max, only more so. “Do Bronx” is 36 and has been fighting professionally for 18 years. And in those 18 years, he’s also been finished a lot. All of that adds up and eventually the bill comes due. A loss would mean Oliveira has losses to three guys at the top of the division right now, which functionally means he’s out of the running.
Yes for Oliveira, who already feels like he’s on thin ice given all the opportunities he’s received, and the amount of damage he’s taken in his one-of-a-kind career. It’s true the UFC loves keeping the same fighters in the contender circle, because it saves them having to build up new names, but there are limits to that strategy and Oliveira can be utilized in other ways even if he’s not set on a championship path. I’m already looking forward to the Oliveira “fun fights only” era.
No for Holloway. Let’s say he beats Oliveira and gets a rematch with Topuria down the road and gets smoked again. That still doesn’t take him out of the equation permanently because no champions stay in their divisions anymore. At some point, Topuria will chase a third title, leaving two spots open for a vacant championship fight and you can bet Holloway will be one of the first people they call, especially if he’s bounced back with a win or two. Just based on age, he’ll be around longer than Oliveira, and by default be more likely to be summoned when the UFC needs a headliner for one of its numerous numbered events.
2. Should the UFC give the BMF belt a rest?
Photo by Alex Menendez/Getty Images
Martin: The easy answer is yes because the BMF title wasn’t supposed to exist beyond one fight anyway.
The origin of the title centered specifically around the fight between Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz in 2019 and it was admittedly fun. But the BMF belt was meant to serve as a symbol for a non-stop action fighter who always entertains — and so far that moniker has followed every single person to hold the belt.
Thus far, the BMF title has only been defended in the lightweight division and there are surely a lot of other fighters who would love to vie for that championship. That’s not really possible until the UFC starts promoting openweight fights, which is never going to happen. I mean, he’s about to compete for a UFC light heavyweight title, but who how could you possibly have a “BMF” belt and not include Jiri Prochazka?
What about Carlos Prates? That dude is the definition of a bad motherf*cker.
The point being, the BMF title was fun while it lasted, but the UFC can book all kinds of fun fights that don’t need some pointless symbolic belt attached to it that means nothing in the grand scheme of things.
Meshew: No. I know they stole the idea from Nate Diaz, but the BMF title is one of the best things the promotion has done over the past few years.
Yes, it’s a fake belt without real meaning. That is entirely beside the point. We all agree there are certain fighters who are more beloved and more meaningful to the fanbase than perhaps their accolades support. But if the UFC only has one belt per weight class, then those fighters don’t receive the full shine they could. That’s silly. Why not show more love to more people, when the cost of doing so is nothing?
Thus far, the UFC has handled the BMF belt perfectly, treating it as a secondary title that fills the role of a fun, all-action belt. This weekend’s fight is the perfect encapsulation of why it works. Is Holloway-Oliveira 2 a good fight regardless? Sure. But it’s more fun when something specific is on the line, which is what we’ve got here.
I will believe the UFC should get rid of the BMF belt when they stop treating it as a fun-off sideshow, because that’s when it will make sense. If Ilia Topuria won the BMF belt against Max Holloway, that would be stupid, because he was the true featherweight champion, and doesn’t have a long history of action fights. If some kid off Contender Series gets a BMF fight in his first few bouts, that would be stupid, too. But so long as the people fighting for the title are beloved action heroes, then keep it forever as far as I’m concerned.
Lee: Yes, but emphasis on rest.
I’m not saying the BMF belt needs to go away forever. It certainly serves a purpose, and if people enjoy it, why just take it away. That said, I’m kind of over the concept. For now.
When the idea was first introduced by Diaz and adopted by corporate, I was all in on it. All bets are props, so why not add another shiny prop to the pile, especially one that has its own distinct flavor. It’s a title that isn’t about win streaks or in-cage technical wizardry or manufactured beef, it’s about who consistently throws all the way down when they make that walk to the octagon. That’s great!
However, at least to me, right now it feels slightly overexposed and almost takes away from the organic affection we’ve grown to have for the fan favorites who have held it. It’s kind of corny when it sounds like the UFC is telling us, “Hey, this guy is a bad motherf*cker.” We can figure that out for ourselves, thank you very much.
So if Saturday’s winner moves on to an undisputed title fight, I say put the BMF belt on the shelf for a year or two until the right mixture of fighters comes together again. Maybe they can even have a genuine tournament for it. Maybe it can be used to put over newer stars instead of established vets. Either way, absence makes the heart grow fonder, so it’s time for the BMF belt to go on vacation.
3. What is the most intriguing fight outside of the main event?
Martin: If we’re being honest, the only other truly meaningful fight in terms of rankings or titles is the co-main event between Reinier de Ridder and Caio Borralho, but that’s too easy. Instead, let’s focus on a guaranteed banger between Drew Dober and Michael Johnson.
These two guys have earned a ton of bonuses over the years, and if there’s one fight on this card that is least likely to go to decision, it has to be this matchup. Dober is the definition of go big or go home. He usually scores a knockout or gets knocked out and there’s rarely any in between with him. Then there’s Johnson, who is typically winning every fight he’s in until he gets wiped out in a surprising comeback. When bad luck doesn’t bite him in the ass, Johnson has a pretty impressive résumé, including a knockout win over Poirier a few years back.
Given how these guys fight, Dober and Johnson could be vying for a $100,000 bonus – either from a Fight of the Night or Performance of the Night – and there’s little chance it’s going to be boring. The winner isn’t getting ranked or earning a title shot, but it’s going to be fun watching these two beat the hell out of each other.
Meshew: I feel like I’m honor-bound to talk about one of my twin medium adult sons (along with Dricus du Plessis), Reinier de Ridder.
“RDR” fights Caio Borralho in a fight that I didn’t see coming and, honestly, one that I’m not sure what it means. A few months ago, both men were in what appeared to be a middleweight title shot tournament, but both lost, and now they’re squaring up in a perfectly fine fight, that seems mostly to be answering the question, “Which fighter is going to move up to 205?”
Borralho has looked great since joining the UFC, but Nassourdine Imavov kind of took him to school in his last fight. Meanwhile, RDR was on a tear, but flew a bit too close to the sun, trying to cut a huge amount of weight five times in 12 months. It caught up to him as he gassed horribly against Brendan Allen, and now here he is.
I expect we’re going to get some very middleweighty fireworks in the co-main event on Saturday as both men have their backs against the wall and something to prove. Sign me up.
Lee: Rob Font, they’re sending someone old enough to be your teenage son to take your spot.
Currently No. 13 at 135 pounds in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings, it feels like Font has had a number next to his name forever (because he probably has), but that is in serious jeopardy here as Raul Rosas Jr. is presumably being booked in this spot to finally break into the top 15. Right? Feels like it was just yesterday he was 17-year-old Raul Rosas and now he could be No. 13-ranked (or higher!) Raul Rosas. Feel old yet???
Anyway, this is not a sure win for Rosas, as Font has blocked many bantamweight hopefuls from entering the upper echelon of the division. Jean Matsumoto, Kyler Phillips, Adrian Yanez, Ricky Simon, Sergio Pettis, all of these guys had a fair bit of hype behind them and each of them were sent back in line. I say this with the fondest praise, Font is the definition of a gatekeeper, and I’m fascinated every time he’s called upon to hold the line once more.
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