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It’s been more than a decade since Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira first squared off. | Josh Schaefer/Sherdog.com
Since their first fight in 2015, Charles Oliveira and Max Holloway have followed parallel paths in different divisions.
While Holloway continued his winning streak at featherweight, defeating Jose Aldo by technical knockout at UFC 212 to take the belt from the fighter considered to be the GOAT of the division, Charles migrated to Chute Boxe, moved up to lightweight, restarted his career and after a sequence of eight victories, won the division’s belt by knocking out Michael Chandler at UFC 262 in 2021.
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In 2026, the two legends will face each other again in the UFC 326 headliner, disputing the BMF belt that the Hawaiian has held since 2024 after beating Justin Gaethje and Dusin Poirier. Holloway has been pointed out as a slight favorite in the odds, but the only certainty is a very exciting fight. At least that is the opinion of these Brazilian coaches and fighters who gave their view on the fight to Sherdog.com.
Coaches, Fighters Weigh in on BMF Title Clash:
Vitor Miranda, UFC Brazil commentator: “Given their characteristics, I think it’s going to be crazy. It’s going to be a fight without strategy, doing justice to the BMF belt. I see Charles embodying his best version, moving forward and looking for the knockout, and Max Holloway doing the same thing.”
Marcos “Parrumpa” da Matta, American Top Team coach: “Holloway is a high-volume fighter who ramps up in the later rounds. Charles tends to focus more on finishing in the early rounds. But if the fight goes to the fifth round, Holloway usually ramps up in the final rounds. To beat Max, Charles would have to secure the first three.”
Melquizael Costa, UFC featherweight: “Volume vs. precision. I see Charles marching forward with that ‘gigantic timing,’ as he says, and giving us a real heart attack test. Holloway undeniably has one of the best striking techniques in MMA, combining movement and volume, but Charles has evolved his striking a lot. He always had a heavy hand, but I notice that he has greatly improved his movement. I see Holloway using his volume to win round after round and Charles constantly moving forward to finish.”
Flavio Alvaro, Fighting Nerds coach: “I’m biased. I’ve been part of Charles’ journey from the beginning. I’ll never forget what he did in Rio last year. Charles is living the best momentum of his career. I think he will finish in the third round.”
Paulo Filho, former WEC middleweight champion: “Charles has to avoid striking. Strike enough to land a punch and take him down. If he takes it to the ground, I believe he’ll finish with relative ease.”
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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