{"id":517920,"date":"2026-03-06T10:08:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-06T10:08:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/517920\/"},"modified":"2026-03-06T10:08:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-06T10:08:08","slug":"lightweight-stars-throw-down-in-exciting-title-fight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/517920\/","title":{"rendered":"Lightweight Stars Throw Down In Exciting Title Fight"},"content":{"rendered":"

UFC 326<\/a> takes over home television screens this weekend, as BMF champion Max Holloway is gearing up to defend his strap for a second time against previous lightweight king Charles Oliveira. In the penultimate matchup of the night, Caio Borralho and Reinier de Ridder seek to rebound from their first UFC defeats with an amazing performance over the other. Check out our betting tips for UFC 326 here<\/a>!<\/p>\n

UFC 326 Main Event<\/p>\n

Last seen in action last July at UFC 318, Holloway sent perennial lightweight contender Dustin Poirier into retirement following an entertaining five round scrap. Crossing paths with his most credentialed opponent over the course of his 155-lb tenure, \u201cBlessed\u201d is aiming to prove he is the absolute baddest fighter in the division.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Embarking on one of the greatest comeback stories in combat sports history, Oliveira<\/a> has dazzled audiences over the years with his practical library of outstanding finishes. Making one final push towards his former position at the head of the pack at lightweight, \u201cdo Bronxs\u201d is preparing for a climatic showdown with easily the most dangerous striker he has ever faced in his career up until now.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

UFC 326 Co-Main Event<\/p>\n

Winning his first seven fights in the promotion, Borralho appeared to be a legitimate title contender heading into his summer matchup with Nassourdine Imavov in 2025. However, \u201cThe Natural\u201d found himself outmatched by the French juggernaut, losing a one-sided decision. Regrouping with his team, the Brazilian is eager to get back into Octagon to right the wrongs of his last contest.\u00a0<\/p>\n

After having his momentum stopped by Brendan Allen in their main event clash this past October, de Ridder<\/a> was forced back to the drawing board after suffering his first defeat in over a year since leaving ONE Championship. With his weight management issues seemingly fixed, \u201cThe Dutch Knight\u201d can set himself up for a possible championship opportunity with a monumental performance.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

More Bouts On the UFC 326 Main Card<\/p>\n

Rounding out the main card, bantamweight veteran Rob Font takes on young prospect Raul Rosas Jr. In an entertaining lightweight matchup, Drew Dober meets Michael Johnson. Finally, middleweight bruisers Gregory Rodrigues and Brunno Ferreira square off in a sure-to-be thrilling rematch.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

UFC 326 Predictions and Staff Picks<\/p>\n

MMASucka staff picks are composed of four of the world\u2019s leading mixed martial arts organizations: the Ultimate Fighting Championship<\/a> (UFC), the Professional Fighters League<\/a> (PFL), ONE Championship<\/a> (ONE FC), and Dana White\u2019s Contender Series<\/a> (DWCS).<\/p>\n

UFC picks will include main card fights ranging from four to six matchups per event.
\nPFL picks from main cards for pay-per-views and from tournament fights in the Regular Season, Playoffs, and Finals.
\nONE FC and DWCS picks will feature all MMA fights from the event with a minimum of three matchups.<\/p>\n

The individual who picks the most victorious fighters by the end of 2025 will have a choice between receiving a custom-made championship belt from ProAmBelts <\/a>or a detailed chain from Championship Chains<\/a>. Staff picks in 2025 were won by Hank Strandberg with a record of 216-119.<\/p>\n

Find our UFC 326 picks and fight odds below.<\/p>\n

Staff records after UFC Mexico 8:\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hank Strandberg: 24-13
\n Frazer Krohn: 20-18
\n Drew Zuhosky: 14-22
\n Andrew Benjamin: 2-3<\/p>\n

*Note \u2013 not all staff pick for every event*<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Gregory Rodrigues -170
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Vs.
\nBrunno Ferreira +145
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0MIDDLEWEIGHT<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hank Strandberg: Rodrigues by Unanimous Decision\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0
Drew Zuhosky: Rodrigues by Unanimous Decision\u00a0
Frazer Krohn: Rodrigues by round 2 TKO
Andrew Benjamin:\u00a0Ferreira by Unanimous Decision<\/p>\n

Staff picking Rodrigues: 3<\/p>\n

Staff picking Ferreira: 1<\/p>\n

Michael Johnson -122
\nVs.
\nDrew Dober +102
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0LIGHTWEIGHT<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hank Strandberg: Johnson by Second Round Knockout\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0
Drew Zuhosky: Dober by First Round Knockout \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0
Frazer Krohn: Dober by Second Round Knockout
Andrew Benjamin: Johnson by Second Round Knockout \u00a0<\/p>\n

Staff picking Johnson: 1<\/p>\n

Staff picking Dober: 2<\/p>\n

Raul Rosas Jr. -245
\nVs.
\nRob Font +210
\n\u00a0\u00a0BANTAMWEIGHT\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hank Strandberg: Rosas Jr. by Unanimous Decision\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Drew Zuhosky: Font by Unanimous Decision\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0
Frazer Krohn: Rosas Jr. by Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Rosas Jr. by Unanimous Decision\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Staff picking Rosas Jr.: 2<\/p>\n

Staff picking Font: 1<\/p>\n

Caio Borralho -250
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Vs.
\nReinier de Ridder +210
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0MIDDLEWEIGHT<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hank Strandberg: de Ridder by Unanimous Decision\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0
Drew Zuhosky: de Ridder by Unanimous Decision\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0
Frazer Krohn: Borralho by Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: de Ridder by Round 1 Submission<\/p>\n

Staff picking Borralho: 1<\/p>\n

Staff picking de Ridder: 3\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n

Max Holloway -205\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0
\nVs.
\nCharles Oliveira +175
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0LIGHTWEIGHT<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hank Strandberg: Holloway by Unanimous Decision\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0
Drew Zuhosky: Holloway by Unanimous Decision\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0
Frazer Krohn: Holloway by Second Round Knockout
Andrew Benjamin: Holloway by Second Round Knockout\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Staff picking Holloway: 4<\/p>\n

Staff picking Oliveira: 0<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"UFC 326 takes over home television screens this weekend, as BMF champion Max Holloway is gearing up to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":517921,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[444],"tags":[49,48,641,638,82],"class_list":["post-517920","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mma","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-fighting","tag-mma","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/517920","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=517920"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/517920\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/517921"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=517920"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=517920"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=517920"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}