Charles Oliveira’s stunning win over Max Holloway at UFC 326 on Saturday night was an old-fashioned pillar-to-post show that otherwise wasn’t in the spirit of the mission.
When Nathan Diaz proposed the BMF belt in 2019, the aristocrats raised their glasses at the idea of two games and the originals emptied the contents of their pockets. Diaz returns from a three-year stay fresh off a victory over Anthony Pettis in a traditional MMA fight. He won the decision on a scorecard that resolves such disputes in a civilized manner if neither of the principals involved can resolve the other’s issues.
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He told Joe Rogan that he enjoyed Jorge Masvidal’s last fight, acknowledging that Masvidal’s gangsterism was at an unusually high level. Still, Diaz is quick to point out that Masvidal, who lives in Miami, “isn’t a West Coast gangster,” a distinguishing factor meant to emphasize that someone from Stockton might better understand the hard life.
Later that night, Diaz elaborated on what he called his principles of fighting for the mantle of “The Baddest Bastard in the Game,” which the UFC abbreviates to “BMF” for commercial purposes. The abstract title would eliminate the practice of wrestlers “looking for holes” to win points and deter tumbleweed contenders like Jake Ellenberger and Rick Story who had mediocre performances in the welterweight rankings in previous years.
Diaz cited the names. He’s not afraid to call out the strays, which fits the premise of discovering a bad guy.
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In short, what he wants is for “real warriors” to show up and have “real fights,” and if you’re not careful, you might find yourself caught. There’s no pat-a-wish approach, no reliance on scorecards, no weak, opinionated game plans. He also doesn’t want those who are late, those who don’t have the ability to survive in a cage for years.
“These guys have been here and are still at the top of their game,” Diaz said of his thoughts. “Now we’re fighting to bring the baddest bastard to the game, and that’s mine.”
Less than three months later, Masvidal defeated Diaz to capture the inaugural BMF title at UFC 244, the night The Rock put the title around his waist in New York. Diaz suffered such a severe blow that doctors canceled the fight, fulfilling the original prophecy of BMF’s order that the OG contestant must go out with The Shield.
A lot has happened since the BMF origin story, but – as noted after UFC 326 – in the first four BMF fights, there was only one valid knockout. There is only one. That’s when Masvidal knocked Diaz down, an instinctive move he’ll probably apologize for later. Of the four previous BMF fights, two of which involved Holloway, each one featured at least one knockdown.
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There are gentlemen’s agreements, standing together to make deals, and street measures that test the gangster’s heart. Holloway redefined that at UFC 300, when he was well ahead on the scorecards but issued a challenge in the final 10 seconds, pointing to the center of the cage and inviting Gaethje to come over and rub his chin. Holloway knocked down his opponent with just two seconds left in the game. That’s BMF. Knockout, yes, but give up. A whack on the scorecard.
Sensual Kapalui.
BMF? You bet.
(Jeff Bottari via Getty Images)
Oliveira emerged on Saturday night and checked a lot of boxes for BMF’s leading candidate. After fifteen years in the Octagon, he is still at the top of the list and has set multiple UFC records for submissions and totals. After being labeled a “quitter” early in his career, his fervent followers have shown a certain courage that is perhaps unique to Oliveira’s character. That he holds the UFC title is secondary and the fact that he’s still kicking ass qualifies him for status on the Diaz scale.
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Yet when Holloway stepped forward in the first minute and unleashed what seemed like the opening salvo in a beautiful sequence of pure violence, Oliveira said fuck off mayonnaise. He fired at Max, lifted him into the air, and dropped him to the canvas so that any dogfight was pointless. Over the next four minutes, Holloway dodges submission attempts with a dry body and manages to earn a standing ovation as he raises his eyebrows at the camera, as if to add some humor to the festivities.
If Oliveira had submitted him then, BMF might have changed hands without any controversy. In fact, this is not the case. Round two was the same story, this time Max looked a bit overwhelmed as he couldn’t continue the fight. Is he looking forward to a different fight with Oliveira? The old gentleman’s agreement? Only Max knew, but betrayal was working against him at the moment. In the third round, the pattern continued, only now there was a soundtrack – a chorus of boos.
The problem isn’t Oliveira’s dominance; It’s that he takes away the joy of fighting. Holloway’s fireworks never go out. Holloway served Diaz’s vision well in his fights with Gaethje and Dustin Poirier, but he was ransacked by a savvy customer who played with the unwritten rules. Face crank? Body lock? What are these streets? Oliveira’s bold move away from Holloway’s danger zone goes against all of Diazian’s principles.
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In the fourth round, strictly the “championship round,” daydreaming takes the place of a more rigorous vigil. Parlay betting in Vegas is screwed up. The fun beats brought by the crowd had dropped to dangerous lows while Oliveira massaged Holloway’s back and put her mouth to Holloway’s ear so he could whisper sweet nothings. What is this blonde nightmare talking about?
By day five, Diaz himself saw his noble doctrines succumb to the nerdiness of Brazilian gangsters, and he openly expressed his disapproval on X.
“Boring bastards,” he wrote.
When the dust settled, Oliveira raised his hand with the BMF title hanging around his waist. There were two small scratches on his face, enough to show that he was in a fight. It’s a 50-45 scorecard that goes against the spirit of the mission, but it was a great performance under different circumstances. Not everyone is cut out for BMF life, at least not in the way scholars explain.
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Just don’t tell the guy with the title.
