UFC 326 fight week continues. After a trip to Mexico last weekend, the No. 1 MMA promotion in the world comes home to Nevada for two weeks in a row beginning this Saturday night. It’s also an important weekend in the UFC for two reasons.
Saturday’s card is the first UFC event to be shown on the CBS television network. Under the current UFC media rights deal with Paramount Plus, selected shows from the promotion will be simulcast on linear television via CBS, including UFC 326 on Saturday.
Live coverage of the show begins with the early prelims Saturday afternoon at 5 pm ET/ 2 pm PT on both UFC Fight Pass and Paramount Plus. Late prelims follow at 7 pm ET/ 4 pm PT on Paramount Plus, with CBS joining the late prelims in-progress at 8 pm ET/ 5 pm PT before simulcasting the first hour of the main card at 9 pm ET/ 6 pm PT.
Paramount Plus will stream the main card gavel-to-gavel on Saturday night. If there are no adjustments needed on the schedule for UFC 326, the final version of the card features 13 fights.
UFC 326 Main Event: BMF Championship: [C] Max Holloway vs. No. 3 Contender Charles Oliveira II
At the top of the bill on Saturday night, the symbolic BMF Championship will be at stake in a lightweight bout. Current BMF Champion and No. 4 lightweight contender Max Holloway (27-8 MMA, 23-8 UFC) will put his title on the line against No. 3 contender Charles Oliveira (36-11, 1 NC MMA, 24-11, 1 NC UFC) in a rematch.
This BMF Championship fight is an advertised maximum of five rounds at five minutes per round to close the show. These two contestants squared off for the first time back in August of 2015 in Saskatchewan, with Holloway scoring a first-round knockout due to injury. How will the rematch play out?
“Blessed” enters UFC 326 on Saturday on the strength of a 4-1 record in his last five fights. Last summer, he made a successful first defense of the BMF Championship with a unanimous decision victory over Dustin Poirier (30-10, 1 NC MMA, 22-9, 1 NC UFC) in the latter’s retirement bout during UFC 319 in New Orleans.
While Holloway is defending the BMF Championship this weekend, he’ll also be looking to take another step toward winning the UFC Lightweight Championship with a victory on Saturday night. How will he fare here?
Meanwhile, Charles Oliveira makes the walk having gone 3-2 in his last five fights. In October, he submitted Mateusz Gamrot (25-4, 1 NC MMA, 8-4 UFC) with a rear-naked choke inside the second round.
Just as this is a crucial fight for Holloway, the UFC 326 main event is equally critical for Oliveira this weekend. Like Holloway, “Do Bronx” can put himself within shouting distance of the lightweight title with a win on Saturday.
UFC 326 Co-Main Event: No. 7 Contender Caio Borralho vs. No. 8 Contender Reinier de Ridder
Immediately beforehand, the middleweights go to battle for the UFC 326 co-main event when No. 7 contender Caio Borralho (17-2, 1 NC MMA, 7-1 UFC) faces No. 8 contender Reinier de Ridder (21-3 MMA, 4-1 UFC.) This is a three-round affair at five minutes per round.
Borralho enters the weekend having posted a record of 4-1 in his last five fights. Back on Sept. 6 in Paris, he saw his nine-fight winning streak snapped by way of unanimous decision to Nassourdine Imavov (17-4, 1 NC MMA, 9-2, 1 NC UFC.)
While a fighter is dangerous when he’s on a hot streak, he can be equally dangerous after rebounding from a defeat. Can Borralho regain his winning form?
Across the way, Reinier de Ridder, a former stalwart of ONE Championship, has a 4-1 record of his own in the last five contests. Like Borralho, RDR is also coming into UFC 326 off of a loss.
On Oct. 18 in Vancouver, he resigned from his fight with Brenden Allen (26-7 MMA, 14-4 UFC) at the end of the fourth round of action in that night’s main event. He’s already got championships on the mantle from his time in ONE, so will this fight be the first step toward UFC gold?
UFC 326: No. 13 Contender Rob Font vs. Raul Rosas Jr.
Also on the UFC 326 main card this Saturday, the bantamweights lock horns for a contest between No. 13 contender Rob Font (22-9 MMA, 12-8 UFC) and Raul Rosas Jr. (11-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC.) This is a rebooking of a fight from Noche UFC in September.
The original Sept. 13 fight was scrubbed after Rosas sustained a rib injury prior to the show. Font remained on the San Antonio card, losing by way of unanimous decision to David Martinez (14-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC.)
Font’s gone 2-3 in his last five fights. He was a few weeks out from fighting Rosas before he needed to withdraw from Noche UFC. After a delay of nearly six months, only time will tell if Rob Font will return to victory lane.
In the other corner, Raul Rosas Jr. has posted a mark of 4-1 during his past five matches. Prior to the postponed fight on Sept. 13, he last fought on March 29 of last year, winning by unanimous decision over Vince Morales (16-10 MMA, 3-8 UFC.)
With a clean bill of health now afforded to him, Rosas looks to do on Saturday what he couldn’t last September. Whether or not he wins remains to be seen.
Rest of the Card
The UFC 326 main card is rounded out by a lightweight tilt versing Drew Dober (28-15, 1 NC MMA, 15-11, 1 NC UFC) and Michael Johnson (24-19 MMA, 16-15 UFC) and a middleweight bout matching No. 13 contender Gregory Rodrigues (18-6 MMA, 9-3 UFC) with No. 15 contender Brunno Ferreira (15-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC.)
Which fights are you looking forward to the most? Let us know in the comments.