TLDR
- Max Holloway defends his BMF title against Charles Oliveira at UFC 326 on Saturday
- Their first meeting in 2015 ended in less than two minutes when Oliveira suffered a neck injury
- Holloway holds UFC records with 3,655 career strikes landed and has the highest win percentage among fighters with 30+ fights
- Oliveira has the most finishes in UFC history with 21 and is a former lightweight champion
- Both fighters have won UFC championship gold and are considered future Hall of Famers
Sources: espn.com | mmamania.com
Max Holloway will defend his BMF title against Charles Oliveira at UFC 326 on Saturday, marking their second meeting in the octagon. Their first fight happened more than a decade ago under very different circumstances.
The two fighters headlined a UFC Fight Night event in Saskatoon, Canada in August 2015. That bout ended in less than two minutes after Oliveira suffered a serious neck injury.
Both men entered that 2015 fight as rising contenders at featherweight. Holloway had won six straight fights and was coming off a third-round submission victory over Cub Swanson. Oliveira had won four consecutive bouts, including a third-round submission of Nik Lentz.
Championship Runs Since 2015
The careers of both fighters took off after their abbreviated first meeting. Holloway went on to capture the UFC featherweight championship and defended it three times.
He built a 13-fight winning streak from January 2014 to April 2019, which ties for the fifth longest in UFC history. Holloway holds a 23-8 record in the UFC, giving him the highest win percentage at .741 among fighters with at least 30 fights in the promotion.
#UFC326 Max Holloway vs. Charles Oliveira 2 Full Card ⚔️
at T Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV on March 7th 🔥#ufc #mma pic.twitter.com/RBw7HoM8mv— West Till Death (@WestTillDeath) March 2, 2026
Oliveira moved up to lightweight and eventually captured that division’s championship. He defended the lightweight title twice before losing it. His UFC record stands at 24-11 with one no contest, tied for the second-highest win percentage among fighters with 30 or more fights at .667.
Holloway became the first fighter to successfully defend the BMF title. He won the belt in a previous fight and will look to keep it against Oliveira on Saturday.
Record-Breaking Statistics
Holloway has built his career on elite striking ability. He landed 445 strikes in a January 2021 fight against Calvin Kattar, which remains the UFC record for most strikes landed in a single fight. He also set the record for most strikes in a round with 141 during that same bout.
During the fifth round of the Kattar fight, Holloway shouted “I’m the best boxer in the UFC, baby!” while continuing to land punches. His career total of 3,655 strikes landed makes him the only UFC fighter to surpass 3,000. He has landed over 100 strikes in 17 of his 31 UFC fights.
Oliveira built his reputation on finishing fights. He holds the UFC record with 21 career finishes, surpassing Donald Cerrone’s previous mark. He passed Cerrone when he defeated Michael Chandler in May 2021 to win the lightweight championship.
Oliveira has defeated top competitors including Chandler twice, Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier, and Tony Ferguson. He finished eight of nine opponents during a winning streak that led to his title shot in 2021.
The fight takes place Saturday night with Holloway defending his BMF title for the second time. Oliveira will attempt to become the new BMF champion more than 10 years after their first scheduled meeting ended prematurely.
