Both men wanted it, and now Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira will get their wish for a rematch in 2026.
UFC announced on Friday that a Holloway (27-8 MMA, 23-8 UFC) vs. Oliveira (36-11 MMA, 24-11 UFC) rematch for the BMF title will go down at UFC 326 on March 7 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (Paramount+). The promotion officially announced the matchup at the “IT’S ON” seasonal press conference.
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The rematch, which will take place at lightweight, will come more than 10.5 years after they first met. Oliveira suffered an injury in the first round of that bout at UFC Fight Night 74 in August 2015, resulting in a TKO conclusion to the featherweight headliner at that event.
In the years since, Holloway, 34, and Oliveira, 36, have gone on to become legends of the sport. They have both become UFC champions, and their 48 combined victories entering the UFC 326 showdown will mark the most promotional victories in a single matchup in company history.
It will mark Holloway’s second attempted defense of the BMF strap after he won it from Justin Gaethje at UFC 300 in April 2024 then defended against Dustin Poirier at UFC 318 in July. The Poirier trilogy bout marked his return and full-time move to lightweight, where he is currently No. 4 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings.
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Oliveira, who is ranked No. 3 at 155 pounds, will attempt to show he still has much life left in his career after rebounding from a June title-fight knockout loss to Ilia Topuria at UFC 317 to submit Mateusz Gamrot in October’s UFC Fight Night 261 main event in Rio de Janeiro.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Max Holloway vs. Charles Oliveira BMF title rematch set for UFC 326