Charles Oliveira Says BMF Fight Could Launch His Next Title Run

Charles Oliveira’s path back to the UFC lightweight championship won’t be a straight line—but it could start with a belt that’s anything but traditional. This Saturday, at UFC 326 in Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena (Paramount+, CBS), the former lightweight king gets a high-voltage detour: a BMF title fight against Max Holloway.

In the main event, Oliveira (36-11 MMA, 24-11 UFC) meets Holloway (27-8 MMA, 23-8 UFC) for the second time, more than a decade after their first encounter. While the BMF belt has often been dismissed by critics as a flashy marketing concept, Oliveira sees it as a real championship opportunity—and a chance to make history for Brazil.

“For sure, this is a title – this is a belt,” Oliveira said at Wednesday’s media day. “The opportunity to take it down to Brazil is something that has never been done before by a Brazilian athlete. When I talk about legacy, and getting records and everything else, that’s what I’m talking about.”

Holloway captured the BMF title by knocking out Justin Gaethje at UFC 300 in one of the sport’s most memorable finishes. The belt’s short lineage began with Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal, a fight Diaz claims inspired the idea of the “BMF” concept—though Masvidal won the inaugural bout by TKO after a severe cut over Diaz’s eye forced a stoppage. Gaethje later claimed the strap by knocking out Dustin Poirier in the second BMF title fight. Holloway then became the third holder, sealing his win with a buzzer-beating knockout of Gaethje after famously pointing to the canvas.

“I think each and every fighter that actually has held it has given it its importance,” Oliveira said. “They’ve had their ways, and now Max has found a way to give even more importance to a belt like that.”

The Oliveira-Holloway rematch has been a long time coming. Their first meeting took place at featherweight at UFC Fight Night 74 in August 2015, and it ended abruptly—just 99 seconds into the bout—after Oliveira suffered a freak injury that neither he nor medical professionals were ever able to fully explain. Oliveira says that result is firmly in the past, and he’s eager to deliver a clearer outcome this time.

“The first fight between us, let’s kill that one. He won that fight – that’s it,” Oliveira said. “Two great fighters, two legends, two guys that put on a show. We’re gonna put on a great show on Saturday.”

At 36, Oliveira believes he still has plenty left. If he wins on Saturday, he plans to push for the lightweight championship—currently held by Ilia Topuria—while also keeping an eye on the wider title picture, including an interim belt held by Gaethje. Oliveira recently floated the idea of dropping back to featherweight, but he now frames that talk as more speculative than serious. His last bout at 145 pounds came in 2016 against Anthony Pettis.

For now, his focus is on building from his latest momentum: a second-round finish of Mateusz Gamrot in October, earned on home soil.

“Get the BMF, then get the title at lightweight, maybe go back to 145 – I don’t know,” Oliveira said. “We need some time to think this through, and everything else. One step at a time. Maybe there’s a possibility of it.”