The UFC returns to Las Vegas this Saturday, and it’s bringing “BMF” champ Max Holloway along for the ride.
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) vs. Charles Oliveira – for the UFC “BMF” Championship
Middleweight: Caio Borralho vs. Reinier de Ridder
Bantamweight: Rob Font vs. Raul Rosas Jr.
Lightweight: Drew Dober vs. Michael Johnson
Middleweight: Gregory Rodrigues vs. Brunno Ferreira
Preliminary card
Bantamweight: Cody Garbrandt vs. Xiao Long
Middleweight: Donte Johnson vs. Cody Brundage
Featherweight: Ricky Turcios vs. Alberto Montes
Flyweight: Cody Durden vs. Nyamjargal Tumendemberel
Early preliminary card
Flyweight: Su Mudaerji vs. Jesús Santos Aguilar
Light Heavyweight: Rafael Tobias vs. Diyar Nurgozhay
Featherweight: Lee Jeong-yeong vs. Gaston Bolaños
Light Heavyweight: Luke Fernandez vs. Rodolfo Bellato