Max Holloway vs. Charles Oliveira BMF Title bout to headline UFC 326
Two of the most popular and exciting fighters in mixed martial arts history will collide in a long-awaited rematch in 2026.
Max Holloway will defend the “BMF Title” against Charles Oliveira in the main event of UFC 326 on March 7 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, the organization announced at a press conference Friday.
Oliveira and Holloway fought back in 2015 when the two were featherweights, but their matchup ended early and unceremoniously when Oliveira sustained a fluke esophagus injury less than two minutes into the opening round.
Both men went on to become UFC champions, with Holloway winning the featherweight title in 2018 and Oliveira the lightweight title in 2021.
Oliveira suggested in October, following his submission win over Mateusz Gamrot, that a BMF Title bout against Holloway would be most fitting for his next matchup.
“Let’s make that happen,” Oliveira said of the potential matchup in his post-fight interview.
Meanwhile, Holloway is riding high off a win over Dustin Poirier in their trilogy bout in July. Holloway is 2-0 in the lightweight division over the past two years, initially earning the BMF belt in April of 2024 with a highlight-reel knockout of Justin Gaethje at UFC 300.
The winner of Holloway vs. Oliveira will also remain near the top of the 155-pound rankings. While both have previous losses to current champion Ilia Topuria, who recently announced he’s taking a temporary leave of absence due to personal reasons, they each have stoppage wins over Gaethje who is taking on Paddy Pimblett for an interim title at UFC 324 in January.
The “BMF” belt is not an official weight class title. Instead, the acronym stands for “Baddest Mother(expletive)” and essentially represents the fighter who competes with the most tenacity and the most fan-friendly fighting style.
No other fights were announced for UFC 326 at the press conference.
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