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EspañolTwo of the most popular and exciting fighters in all of mixed martial arts are set for a rematch more than a decade in the making when the UFC returns to Nevada this weekend.
UFC 326 takes place this Saturday, March 7, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, with former featherweight champion Max Holloway set to face former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira in a five-round main event.
Holloway is the reigning BMF titleholder, while Oliveira is the UFC’s all-time leader in submission and stoppage wins and has the most post-fight bonuses.
This will mark the sixth UFC event of the year so far and the third numbered card since late January.
Here’s the key info you need for UFC 326 fight week:
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What is the ‘BMF Title’ and why is it on the line?
The “BMF” belt is not an official weight class championship title. Instead, the acronym stands for “Baddest Mother-(expletive),” and represents the fighter who competes with the most tenacity and most fan-friendly style, prioritizing offence over defence and displaying a warrior’s spirit until the final horn.
It was first introduced as a gimmick in 2019 when Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal headlined UFC 244 at Madison Square Garden. Though it’s a symbolic title, the UFC introduced a physical BMF belt, which Masvidal was awarded when he earned a technical knockout victory over Diaz due to cuts.
The BMF title was dormant for a few years and Masvidal was later stripped of the belt when he announced his retirement in 2023. Masvidal vs. Diaz took place in the welterweight division, but all subsequent BMF bouts have been scheduled as five-round lightweight contests.
Justin Gaethje knocked out Dustin Poirier with a head kick at UFC 291 in 2023 to win the vacant BMF title, then Holloway took the belt from Gaethje with his iconic last-second knockout at UFC 300 in the summer of 2024. Holloway became the first fighter to defend the BMF title when he avenged two previous losses to Poirier and sent “The Diamond” into retirement at UFC 318 last summer in Holloway’s most recent appearance.
Holloway, 34, and Oliveira, 36, are still two of the biggest stars and most skilled fighters on the entire UFC roster and two of the only non-champions worthy of headlining a numbered event.
Oliveira is coming off a submission win over Mateusz Gamrot in October, after which he said a BMF title bout in a rematch against Holloway would be the most fitting next matchup for the Brazilian. Oliveira said, “Let’s make that happen,” and that’s exactly what the UFC did.
The pair first fought back in 2015 when they still competed as featherweights, but their bout ended early and unceremoniously when Oliveira sustained a fluke oesophagus injury less than two minutes into the opening round.
It was an anticlimactic conclusion, yet an immediate rematch never materialized. Both men eventually became UFC champions, with Holloway winning the featherweight title in 2018 and Oliveira the lightweight title in 2021, four years after he moved up from 145 pounds to the 155-pound division.
Holloway and Oliveira both hold stoppage wins over interim champion Gaethje, but they have also both lost to Ilia Topuria, the UFC lightweight champion who’s expected to return from a personal hiatus sometime in the middle of the year. Gaethje recently won an interim lightweight title when he beat Paddy Pimblett at UFC 324. Holloway’s and Oliveira’s relatively recent losses to Topuria prevented them from being strong candidates for that recent interim title matchup, even though at the time they were each ranked ahead of both Gaethje and Pimblett.
Who else is on the card?
Fight fans can expect stiff competition for the post-fight bonuses at UFC 326, considering the card has been constructed with plenty of fan-friendly matchups. The main event is the clear frontrunner for Fight of the Night, but there are at least three other main card matchups that should have the crowd roaring.
Specifically, just like the two main eventers, veteran lightweight brawlers Michael Johnson and Drew Dober are set to throw leather and are always live for a performance bonus and highlight finish. The penultimate bout of the night sees middleweight contenders Caio Borralho and Reinier de Ridder lock horns as both look to creep back towards the top five at 185 pounds.
Also at middleweight, Brazilian knockout artists Gregory Rodrigues and Brunno Ferreira will kick off the main card in a rematch of a 2023 bout that ended with Ferreira laying Rodrigues out stiff with a heavy left hand. Rodrigues is 5-1 since the loss and ranked No. 13 in the division; Ferreira is 5-2 since that win and only ranked No. 15.
Below is the projected bout order for UFC 326 (subject to change):
MAIN CARD
— Max Holloway vs. Charles Oliveira
— Caio Borralho vs. Reinier de Ridder
— Rob Font vs. Raul Rosas Jr.
— Drew Dober vs. Michael Johnson
— Gregory Rodrigues vs. Brunno Ferreira
PRELIMINARY CARD
— Cody Garbrandt vs. Xiao Long
— Donte Johnson vs. Cody Brundage
— Ricky Turcios vs. Alberto Montes
— Cody Durden vs. Nyamjargal Tumendemberel
— Sumudaerji vs. Jesus Santos Aguilar
— Rafael Tobias vs. Diyar Nurgozhay
— Jeong-yeong Lee vs. Gaston Bolanos
— Luke Fernandez vs. Rodolfo Bellato
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Watch UFC 326 on Sportsnet+
Fan favourites and former champions Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira meet in a rematch with the BMF Title on the line. Watch UFC 326 on Saturday, March 7 with prelim coverage beginning 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT, and pay-per-view main card starting at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.
Any boots on the ground?
Sportsnet’s Aaron Bronsteter and former UFC fighter Diana Belbita are on site in Las Vegas, providing coverage throughout the week, so stay tuned to Sportsnet.ca this week for one-on-one fighter interviews and other content.
Will there be a live weigh-in show this week?
Yes! The duo of Bronsteter and Belbita will broadcast live from the Meta Apex in Las Vegas on Friday as they report the official weights for UFC 326 athletes and speak to some of the participating fighters.
Fans can watch the live weigh-in show on Sportsnet.ca, Sportsnet+ and Sportsnet’s YouTube channel beginning at approximately 11:55 a.m. ET / 8:55 a.m. PT.
There will be a one-pound allowance for all fighters on this card since there aren’t any official weight class titles on the line. All non-title bouts are given a one-pound allowance, so Holloway and Oliveira can weigh as much as 156 pounds instead of needing to be no heavier than 155 pounds, which would be the case if a lightweight title were on the line instead of the BMF belt.
What else is happening during fight week?
Media Day, March 4: Official media events begin Wednesday when participating athletes speak with gathered reporters at the Meta Apex.
Pre-fight press conference, March 5: Athletes from the UFC 326 main card, including Holloway and Oliveira, will participate on Thursday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. The event is open to the public and will be available to stream live on Sportsnet+ beginning at approximately 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT.
Official weigh-in, March 6: The fighters will hit the scale early Friday as they attempt to make weight. As mentioned above, Sportsnet’s UFC 326 Live Weigh-In Show will be available to stream beginning at approximately 11:55 a.m. ET / 8:55 a.m. PT.
Ceremonial weigh-in, March 6: Later in the day on Friday, after the official weights have been recorded and the athletes have begun rehydrating, the fighters will square off with their respective opponents at MGM Grand Garden Arena on the eve of UFC 326. This will be available to stream live on Sportsnet+ beginning at approximately 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT.
The fights, March 7: Live preliminary card coverage from T-Mobile Arena will begin on Sportsnet 360 and Sportsnet+ beginning at approximately 7 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT with the pay-per-view main card set to start at 9 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT.
Post-fight press conferences, March 7: Once the event has concluded, fans can stay tuned to Sportsnet+ to watch a selection of winning fighters and UFC president Dana White answer questions from gathered media.
Who’s on the call? The UFC’s usual broadcasting trio of Jon Anik on play-by-play with Joe Rogan and Daniel Cormier on commentary and analysis will be leading the call at UFC 326. Past opponent of both headliners, Dustin Poirier, will provide additional analysis on the broadcast alongside Paul Felder, Michael Bisping and backstage reporter Megan Olivi.
