Charles Oliveira contending for the UFC’s ceremonial BMF title almost feels like a must before he puts a bow on his legendary career. Luckily for him, reigning BMF champ Max Holloway is all-in on the proposed rematch following Oliveira’s latest win and callout at UFC Rio earlier this month.
“That’s the fight I want. That’s a fight a lot of people want to see,” Holloway told Uncrowned. “We have history. There’s not too many people right now that people are considering BMFs. But on that very short list, Charles Oliveira is one of them. So you tell me that I get to go out there and defend the BMF title again against a man who’s very respected, who I have history with? And [whenever] they talk about our [first] fight or he talks about it, [he blames] an injury or whatever, so let’s go figure it out.
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“If you believe that the first one [ended with Holloway winning] because of the injury — and everybody’s going to come at me and social media is going to come at me after this — at the end of the day, if you guys really did your research, nothing was ever found for an injury when he got released from the doctor. So I would love that fight. He did great things. He actually was a champion at one point, and me getting another win over a top-five guy would only get me closer to a title shot, where I eventually want to be.”
The first Holloway vs. Oliveira bout took place at featherweight a decade ago — on Aug. 23, 2015, in Saskatoon, Canada. It ended in just 99 seconds after Oliveira appeared to suffer an unclear throat injury.
It was one of the strangest scenes a UFC main event has ever hosted — which says a lot. At the time, initial reports indicated the future lightweight champion suffered a microtear in his esophagus. However, as Holloway mentioned, Oliveira was released from the hospital the following day with no major chest or neck injuries. “Do Bronx” maintained afterward that he had a minor issue with his neck from the fight.
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A result like that seemed ripe for an instant rematch, as it provided even less resolution than the recent heavyweight title no-contest between Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane. Even Holloway expected to collide with his Brazilian counterpart again after what was arguably the strangest fight he’s ever been a part of.
“It was just a weird time,” Holloway said. “I thought it was [going to be run back immediately] because we were a main event and everything. Two top guys.”
As it turns out, Holloway, 33, was on the cusp of crafting his legacy. He defeated Jeremy Stephens four months after Oliveira, then followed it with his unforgettable last-second throwdown with Ricardo Lamas. Holloway’s first taste of gold came shortly after that, as he captured the interim featherweight title against Anthony Pettis in late 2016 and has been a fixture around UFC title fights ever since.
Despite holding the UFC’s ceremonial BMF title, Holloway still seeks championship status in his new division at lightweight. With a second win over Oliveira, Holloway believes he could earn a rematch with UFC lightweight king Ilia Topuria, who previously defeated him in an October 2024 featherweight title bout. That being said, Holloway admits the divisional landscape feels more confusing than ever.
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“The ranking system, to me — you can be the judge — it’s kind of out of whack,” Holloway said. “I don’t know how I’m ranked in the pound-for-pound rankings higher than two guys who’s in my own weight class. I’m like, ‘How am I in the pound-for-pound at 12, then there’s two [lightweight] guys [Arman Tsarukyan and Oliveira], they’re both on the pound-for-pound too, but they’re both behind me. Then we look at the [lightweight] ranks that I’m actually in, and they’re in front of me. So it makes no sense.
Max Holloway upset Dustin Poirier in their BMF championship bout at UFC 318.
(Cooper Neill via Getty Images)
“You see guys jump up like Charles — he beat a guy that was not ranked ahead of us in anything [Mateusz Gamrot]. And then he won the fight and he went up a spot in front of me, which I was like, ‘OK, that totally makes sense.’ Then I saw somebody else talking about the Paddy [Pimblett] situation, where he jumped up five [spots] and he didn’t fight for a minute. So it is what it is, bro.
“I wouldn’t even look at the rankings. UFC is going to do what UFC does. You need to have spectacular fights. You need to get your name out there. I felt like after the last one [a win over Dustin Poirier in July], maybe we could have got a shot, but there’s Justin [Gaethje], there’s Arman — they got big fights coming up. And then I know UFC loves drama, and there’s drama there with Paddy.”
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Tsarukyan is set to collide with Dan Hooker in November at UFC Qatar, while Pimblett and Gaethje appear to be the two frontrunners to challenge Topuria next.
Holloway will be watching closely as the division shakes out in the coming months. If he gets his wish and meets Oliveira next, the mission will remain unchanged.
Equating most fans to goldfish, Holloway believes everyone could use a reminder now and then.
“They were saying that he was too big, I was too small,” Holloway said of his Poirier win. “They were counting me out because of what happened the fight before that [against Topuria]. At the end of the day, it is what it is. It was a huge moment for me. I was like, ‘You all must have forgot.’ I had to keep doing this throughout my whole career. I’m getting sick of it. Man, when are you guys just going to understand a man shouldn’t be defined by one [outcome], you know? That’s just what it is.
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“I had this with the [Alexander Volkanovski] fights back-to-back — they were saying I should retire. I worked my way back; unfortunately, I didn’t get my hand raised again. I should retire again. Worked my a** back off, had the big [UFC] 300 moment. Boom, went down and got knocked back down, and they were saying, ‘Oh, maybe retire again.’ Come back, deliver the fight with the BMF title again. They all forgot.”
