In this season of giving, Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira definitely got what they wanted. The UFC announced on Friday that the lightweight rematch between Holloway and Oliveira is officially scheduled for March 7 as the main event of UFC 326 in Las Vegas.
As expected, Holloway will put his BMF Ceremonial title on the line in a five-round bout.
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Oliveira is calling for a chance to challenge Holloway for the BMF title after submitting Mateusz Gamrot in the second round at UFC Rio de Janeiro. Minutes later, Holloway immediately accepted Oliveira’s call, then doubled down on the point in a recent interview with The Uncrowned.
“This is the fight I want. This is the fight a lot of people want to see,” Holloway told The Untitled in October. “We have history. Not a lot of people are thinking about BMF right now. But on that very short list, Charles Oliveira is one of them. So you’re telling me I can go out and defend the BMF title again against a very well-respected guy that I have history with? And [whenever] they talk about our [first] fight or he talks about it, [he blames] Injury or whatever, so let’s go fix that. “
As Holloway mentioned, the two former UFC champions have a history together.
Holloway, 33, and Oliveira, 35, gained notoriety more than a decade ago at the August 2015 UFC Fight Night event when the two were still up-and-coming contenders trying to climb the featherweight ladder. In a bizarre fight, Holloway won in just 99 seconds after Oliveira suffered an apparent injury to her esophagus. A year later, Holloway captured the UFC interim featherweight title, then became the undisputed champion in 2017 before eventually relinquishing the belt in a triple defense in 2019.
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Holloway (27-8) has compiled a perfect 2-0 record in the lightweight division since his first return to UFC 300 against Justin Gaethje, with Holloway winning the 2024 Knockouts of the Year title to earn the BMF belt. Holloway followed that up by successfully retiring long-time rival and legend Dustin Poirier in a spectacular all-action contest at UFC 318 last August.
Oliveira (36-11, 1 NC) eventually moved up to lightweight as well and became one of the most respected 155-pounders of this era, winning a title in 2021 and fielding a top prospect. Oliveira’s most recent victory over Gamrot came just 105 days after he suffered a knockout loss against Ilya Topriya for the vacant UFC lightweight title.
UFC 326 is expected to take place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
