The possibilities for Max Holloway remain abundant, but first, the UFC legend from Wai‘anae has business to take care of on Saturday.
Holloway is headlining UFC 326 on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, the main event of a card that begins at 4 p.m. HST on Paramount+. He'll look to defend his BMF belt against Brazil's Charles Oliveira, a fellow legend in the sport. The two faced off on Aug. 23, 2015 at UFC Fight Night 74 in Saskatoon, Canada. Holloway was granted a TKO victory after Oliveira suffered an esophagus injury in the first round.
Holloway and Oliveira each went on to achieve greatness in the sport. Holloway's victory was one of 13 straight in the featherweight division, which included five championship victories in the 145-pound division.
Meanwhile, Oliveira made the permanent move to the lightweight division (155) in 2017 and became champion in 2021 with a victory over Michael Chandler. He defended the belt with a victory over Dustin Poirier, then defeated Justin Gaethje in 2022, but was forced to vacate his title after missing weight by half a pound.
As Holloway and Oliveira continued to ascend in the sport, their paths have led them back to each other over 10 years and 10 pounds later.
Holloway, 34, won the BMF belt with an iconic knockout over Gaethje at UFC 300 on April 13, 2024. He became the first fighter to defend the belt in his most recent fight, a unanimous decision over the retiring Poirier at UFC 318 in New Orleans on July 19, 2025. Oliveira, 36, has gone 3-3 since his win over Gaethje, losing two UFC lightweight title bouts.
Oliveira and Holloway are both seeking a lightweight championship shot after the victory. While Oliveira has fought in five lightweight title fights, Holloway has yet to fight for 155 gold. Both would figure to have a case with a victory on Saturday, as both are 1-0 against Gaethje, the current interim lightweight champion.
Both fighters made the requisite weight of 156 pounds or under on Friday. Oliveira weighed in at 156 pounds, while Holloway hit the scales at 155.5. Despite the intense and primal nature of the sport, the two have remained cordial towards each other.
"Two guys that have managed to get to this position by being respectful with each other, by being respectful to other people," Oliveira said through a translator during the UFC 326 press conference on Thursday, "We sell fights by fighting, by the things that we do inside the octagon and outside the octagon. There are kids watching every time we're doing things. I mean, he's a father, family man, my kids are here. They're always kids watching the good things that you do. Kids will follow the bad things that you do. We are guys that are always respectful. We're not just guys that pick up the mic and say crap at each other."
Added Holloway: "He said it all. He took the words out of my mouth."
The UFC's BMF belt, which debuted in 2019, was set to reward the "baddest motherf***er" in the game. Jorge Masvidal defeated Nate Diaz in a welterweight bout for the inaugural BMF title, but was stripped upon his retirement in 2023. That led UFC CEO and president Dana White to put the belt on a line between Gaethje and Poirier in a lightweight bout later that year, which Gaethje won via knockout. Holloway then took the belt from Gaethje at UFC 300.
Holloway has a featherweight belt to his name and a BMF belt. He's hoping he gets the chance to add lightweight gold to his collection in due time.
"I got another undisputed title in my mind right now," Holloway said. "I want to be a two division champ. They're saying this BMF title makes me a two division champ. I don't believe them. I want that gold."
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Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
