Daniel Cunningham
This past Saturday, the main event of UFC 326, we saw a rematch that was more than ten years in the making. BMF champion Max Holloway (27-9) was looking to defend his title against former undisputed lightweight champion Charles Oliveira (37-11).
Going into the fight, Max Holloway was the betting favorite and it seemed like for a good reason. Charles Oliveira just got knocked out a year ago by Ilia Topuria and Holloway had looked like a monster at 155 knocking out Justin Gaethje and dominating Dustin Poirier.
However, nobody really talked about how big of a test this would be for Holloway in terms of the grappling. It was a massive test and unfortunately for Holloway, it was a test that he didn’t pass. Every single round, Oliveira would work his way inside with a wild flurry of combinations.
Once he got inside, he would grab ahold of Holloway and bully him to the ground. Holloway’s defensive jiu jitsu was incredible but he couldn’t get up or stop Oliveira from taking him down. It was one-way traffic.
Even when the fight was on the feet at UFC 326, Oliveira was getting the better of the exchanges. A clean domination for Oliveira who won the BMF belt from Holloway on Saturday night.
What’s next after UFC 326?
Max Holloway isn’t going anywhere and he made it clear that he’s still going to be gunning for that lightweight title even after the fight on Saturday night. This was a real wakeup call for Holloway that he’s going to need to work on his defensive wrestling especially as he takes on the top guys at 155 pounds.
In terms of his next fight, I think the UFC is going to give Holloway a massive fight with a big name. I think you are going to see Holloway either face Paddy Pimblett or Conor McGregor next. Holloway took little damage on Saturday night and we know that the UFC is very interested in Conor McGregor headlining International Fight Week.
Had Holloway won on Saturday, it would be a slam dunk that Holloway and McGregor would fight at 170 in July. However, even after losing, I still think the fight is massive and makes a ton of sense.
On the other hand, I could see Holloway fighting Paddy Pimblett. Pimblett just lost the interim title fight with Justin Gaethje and he’ll need to look to bounce back in his next fight. Him and Holloway would be big business for the promotion and it would put the winner right back in the mix.
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