In the summer of 2015, the two men set foot in the legendary Octagon for the first time and it ended quickly. During the first round of a scheduled five at the SaskTel Center in Saskatchewan, “Blessed” earned a TKO victory in less than two minutes when Oliveira suffered an injury to his neck and shoulder that prevented him from continuing in the bout.
A lot has changed for both fighters in the decade-plus since the original fight. For Max Holloway, however, the path to victory remains the same as in the summer of 2015.
Max Holloway remains lone fighter to defend the BMF Championship heading into the Oliveira Rematch
Recently Holloway uploaded a video to YouTube. One of the talking points: his status as the only fighter to successfully defend the symbolic BMF title.
“Being the only guy defending the BMF belt, it’s cool and all,” Max Holloway began. “It’s just another record. At the end of the day, I can’t sit here, relax and smell the roses. We have to keep growing. We have to keep trucking. I can be the only guy to defend it twice, so at the end of the day, I have history in my mind.”
Ultimately, Max Holloway says he wants to trade the BMF Championship for the UFC Lightweight Championship.
“The end goal is the undisputed title,” he said. “I believe that Charles Oliveira, a very worthy opponent, was the last to fight for a title. He was at one point an undisputed defending champion, with a victory over Dustin. [Poirier,] A win over him, if I can go out there, do another BMF moment, get my hand up, maybe we’ll get me one step closer to the undisputed title.
“Blessed” Unfazed by the commitment of the BMF Championship
Although the BMF Championship will be on the line for the third time for Max Holloway on the first Saturday evening of March, he says it will be just another day at work.
“Everyone always asks that question: ‘With the BMF title, there is another way.’ [to prepare for the contest?]'” he said. “It’s a fight, man, it’s just another fight. I think I’m a BMF in every fight I did, title or not, even the undisputed title. Ultimately there is no difference.”
“The opponents certainly change, but there is no difference at all,” continued Max Holloway. “We’re here, I’ve been in this game for a long time. I know what I have to do, I know Charles, he has threats against me. I know what he can do. We just have to get ready.”
Holloway on the importance of the BMF title
Although the BMF Championship is a symbolic title, Max Holloway says there is meaning behind it.
“There are very few who can fight for this title,” he said. “The belt used to be a joke, I think, and then all of a sudden I got it. Everyone wants to fight for it now, so it’s hilarious. It’s fun for me. I mean, title, not title, I carry myself like a BMF through whatever fight it may be, so at the end of the day, having this title, getting this, headlining pay-per-view cards is great. I love it.”
Max Holloway predicts fireworks in BMF defense on March 7
When Holloway won the BMF Championship for the first time in April 2024, he did so in stunning, dramatic fashion, literally stopping Justin Gaethje with an overhand right in the final second of their fight at UFC 300. 14 months later, Max Holloway sent Dustin Poirier into retirement with a unanimous decision victory at the main attraction of UFC 318, becoming the first man to defend the symbolic title.
Although the calendar shows March 7 when their fight at UFC 326 begins, Holloway wants to light up the night like the 4th of July in Enterprise, NV.
“Is this matchup going to produce a different version of me?” he pondered. “Probably not. I go out there, I do what I do. My coach is probably going to kill me if they see this and hear me say it.” [this,] but what BMF needs to do in this battle is submit a submission artist. That would be pretty BMF, but ultimately never say never. If your boy puts in a few entries here and there and I get one, who’s to say what happens?
Final thoughts
Numerically speaking, Max Holloway has won via submission just twice since joining the UFC, most recently in April 2015.
That win over Cub Swanson came right before the first match with Charles Oliveira. A win over Oliveira would certainly be rarefied if he can take it on.
By comparison, Charles Oliveira has amassed a whopping 17 wins by submission during his tenure on the UFC’s active roster. Who will emerge victorious? Tune in March 7 to find out.
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