UFC 326 roundtable: Charles Oliveira or Max Holloway — who has the higher profession, legacy forward of BMF rematch?

[ad_1] Is it the best numbered card we’ll see of the UFC’s 2026 choices? No, however UFC 326 is a type of homage to the veterans of the sport who’ve caught round lengthy sufficient to be celebrated. Of the ten fighters on the primary card, 9 of them are 33 years previous or older. Solely 21-year-old Raul Rosas Jr. can be requested for ID on the T-Cellular Enviornment on Saturday evening.

In fact, that predominant occasion is a doozy. Charles Oliveira and Max Holloway squaring off for the BMF title over a decade after their first encounter in Saskatoon? It’s a battle of cherished icons, and the most important disadvantage of this type of combat is that one among them has to lose.

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As we do with all the large playing cards, we requested the burning questions heading into the weekend — right here is the UFC 326 roundtable!

1. Who has had the higher profession and legacy heading into this BMF conflict: Charles Oliveira or Max Holloway? Petesy: It is a nice query, Chuck. I really feel like there is no such thing as a fallacious reply to it. The work these guys did of their most popular weight lessons is written into the historical past of the game, they each combat with extremely fan-friendly kinds and, most of the time, they're the sentimental favorites in each matchup they join.

For me, it’s Holloway, although. The one edge I give him over Charles is that he dethroned the best featherweight fighter of his era, José Aldo. Granted, it was after my fellow Gael stretched him out in 13 seconds, nevertheless it nonetheless stands! In fact, Charles struck off a lion’s share of era-defining lightweights like Gaethje, Poirier and Ferguson however he might by no means take out the Cochise at 155 kilos, whether or not it was Khabib Nurmagomedov or his inheritor obvious, Islam Makhachev.

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Don’t let or not it's stated that I don’t love “Do Bronx,” although. I completely do. I’ll combat any man to the demise that claims in any other case.

Chuck: It’s wild to me that these guys have a mixed 66 UFC fights. It felt like Chael Sonnen fought within the UFC eternally, and he had a mere 11 whole UFC fights. These guys take off their footwear greater than professional swimmers. And actually, the truth that we are able to’t actually say both of them is on a steep decline after so a few years on this grim commerce is a testomony alone to how nice every man is.

Did you notice, Petesy, that it was precisely 100 pay-per-views in the past that we fearful Max Holloway had taken too many photographs? It was within the lead-up to UFC 226 that Michael Bisping requested a crazy Holloway if he was aight on a stay interview, and I can keep in mind at the least a few eulogies being written about him. Right here we're, over seven years and 100 PPVs later, and he’s one of the vital iconic stars within the UFC.

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And if we’re speaking perseverance, keep in mind that Charles Oliveira began his UFC profession with a 5-4-1 report and he missed weight like a daily Bryan Battle. The truth that he overcame all that speaks volumes, too.

That’s why these guys are within the BMF title combat. What doesn’t kill them, makes them stronger. And if I needed to decide, I’d give the nod to Max as nicely. No one authors as many iconic moments because the “Blessed” one.

2. Justin Gaethje is probably going subsequent, however does the winner of this BMF predominant occasion get pole place for a light-weight title shot past that, particularly with Arman Tsarukyan on the market punching dudes in RAF? Chuck: The factor is, Petesy, each Charles and Max are extraordinarily widespread with followers, and if we are able to draw any conclusions from Paddy Pimblett combating Gaethje to kick off the Paramount+ period I’d say it’s an excellent guess. Nonetheless, Charles’ case could be more durable to make than Max’s. The champion, Ilia Topuria, beat each guys already, however dealt with Oliveira with relative ease.

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Think about, although, if Holloway faculties Oliveira in a method just like how he did Gaethje at UFC 300. He has a type of level to the middle of the cage moments that reminds everybody simply need an iconic madman he's. I might see the UFC simply turning Tsarukyan right into a hologram and looking out proper previous him in handing the contract over to Max.

The meritocracy that fought so gallantly for its life by means of the Fertitta years is on its demise mattress in 2026.

Petesy: You’re proper, man. What Holloway did for pointing on the floor is as revolutionary as what Jimi Hendrix did with the electrical guitar. He can just about do what he desires if he has one other UFC 300 second. He may even be the reply to the “What Individuals might truly win if we put them on the White Home card” query too.

It’s simply so exhausting to inform as of late. Tsarukyan — the bona fide primary contender — appeared on Uncrowned's "Ariel Helwani Present" earlier this week and claimed he could possibly be subsequent in line for each the light-weight title and the BMF title. The next day, Helwani revealed he had conversations with a variety of insiders that steered the group is extra disorganized than ever. Tsarukyan’s smorgasbord of choices highlights that much more. Just some weeks in the past, Dana White appeared to be celebrating the truth that he put Tsarukyan behind the eight ball by way of rivalry, and now he’s in line for 2 titles with out even combating. It makes no rattling sense, Chuck!

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To your level, I don’t see both of those guys being viable contenders for Topuria given how he handled them. Nonetheless, as we noticed with the Lopes rematch in opposition to Volkanovski, UFC doesn’t appear to care all that a lot, so it’s unattainable to rule it out.

3. Who would you pair in a girls’s BMF title combat when you have been requested to matchmake it proper now? Petesy: I assume that is determined by what you suppose a BMF title is, Chuck. If it’s simply two enjoyable individuals who can’t appear to beat the champion (which applies to just about each BMF title within the historical past of the class), I feel you might put Manon Fiorot in opposition to Alexa Grasso and it will be satisfactory.

However when you’re asking me who I feel the baddest mfers in feminine combating are these days, I’d put Dakota Ditcheva in opposition to Valentina Shevchenko. Alternatively, I’d recommend a rematch between Amanda Nunes and Cris Cyborg.

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Truthfully, the extra I give it some thought, wouldn’t a girls’s BMF title have been very helpful on the again of Ronda Rousey’s loss to Holly Holm? You might give the corporate’s poster lady a enjoyable runout in opposition to a celebrated title to bounce again from her first defeat. You already know, perhaps somebody like Gina Carano.

Somebody ought to make that combat.

Chuck: You may want to enroll in some social media accounts, Petesy. You’ll be shocked what you discover. I’ll say this, although: Manon Fiorot is aware of one thing about that thug life, I can see it in the way in which she handles herself. She’d be a enjoyable darkish horse for the BMF, although the combat public would yawn till their eyes teared up.

The one drawback with reserving Dakota and Valentina is that they're each nonetheless champions, thus transcending the factors (or what we assume to be the factors). I feel that might be the combat within the broader sense, although. Two of the baddest going. Shevchenko’s nomadic life touring to coaching camps everywhere in the globe, like a extremely evasive murderer, makes her inherently unhealthy.

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I’d make the ladies’s BMF a battle between Cris Cyborg and Kayla Harrison. I do know, I do know, I simply stated no champions, however as Walt Whitman as soon as identified, “do I contradict myself? Very nicely then, I contradict myself. (I'm massive. I include multitudes.)”

4. Each Caio Borralho and Reinier de Ridder are coming off of losses. Who’s carrying extra strain going into Saturday? Chuck: I’m going to say that it’s Borralho right here. Even when MMA followers haven’t been chirping about him sooner or later combating for a title, his Preventing Nerds faction actually believed its Grand Poobah was made from that extraordinary materials. Once I was doing a function on that bespectacled membership final yr, I keep in mind Jean Silva practically tearing up speaking about Caio.

The factor about Reinier is that he type of caught all of us off-guard by his early UFC success. For those who watched him in ONE perhaps you predicted he would translate, however I don’t even suppose UFC matchmakers understood he was such a handful. They fed him to Bo Nickal hoping he’d act as a type of catapult to get Nickal into the highest 10, and de Ridder made that backfire spectacularly. The observe up victory over Whittaker undoubtedly raised some eyebrows, too, however there was a “home cash” really feel to his run thus far.

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Petesy: Like my love for “Do Bronx,” I’ll combat any man who claims I don’t love you, Chuck, however I gotta disagree with you on this one. I don’t essentially disagree with the way you’ve framed Borralho’s state of affairs, I simply suppose there's extra strain on Reinier due to how spectacularly he fell in his bout in opposition to Brendan Allen.

You keep in mind how everybody turned on Bo Nickal after RDR styled on him? I really feel like he acquired the identical remedy when he didn’t reply the bell for the fifth in opposition to Allen. He went from being the darkish horse of the division to being “fraud checked” as our anonymous and faceless buddies on X would say.

Whereas there wasn’t the identical outrage when Borralho misplaced to Imavov, I used to be actually unimpressed by him that evening in Paris. Certain, he had all of it going in opposition to him and Imavov is already thought of a high contender at middleweight. With all that stated, I’m using with the underdog going into this one. I feel RDR matches up very nicely with the person who drew such an emotional response from the all the time measured and famously laissez-faire Jean Silva.

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5. Raul Rosas is simply 21 years previous whereas Rob Font is 38. How a lot will the expertise hole issue into their combat Saturday? Petesy: That is a type of pairings that makes you wince simply taking a look at it on paper. Rosas Jr. is a star within the making and he fights extremely nicely no matter what age he's. That’s why it shocked me after they matched him with Rob Font. Font is a man who can’t fairly lower it on the very high of the bracket. He places a win streak collectively after which he meets somebody within the title dialog and it’s again to sq. one.

There's one factor he's incredible at, although. Sadly for Rosas Jr., that factor simply occurs to be beating surging prospects whereas they’re on the ascent. Keep in mind how hyped everybody was on Adrian Yanez? Individuals have been calling him the very best boxer within the UFC till he walked onto a Font proper hook. Kyler Phillips was one other white-hot prospect that had a streak killed by Font. After which there was previously undefeated Jean Matsumoto. You possibly can’t name him that anymore. You already know why? As a result of he fought Rob Font, that’s why.

It’s not simply the expertise hole for me, it’s the Font issue. This man is a unique beast when he seems to be into the dreaming eyes of a fighter than hasn’t absolutely tasted the depravity of the enterprise but.

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Chuck: Raul Rosas Jr. was 17 years previous when he debuted on "Contender Sequence." Rob Font was 17 when Rosas was born. How wild is that? I are likely to agree that Font brings a sure menace to the equation right here, and had historically been a man who streaks go to die — all of which I assume goes into the expertise issue. He’s stood in there with a variety of imply hombres, and he’s overwhelmed various.

But the age itself is the issue for me. We’ve appear what too many winters can do to a fighter, and that it’s not a query of if however when. Is that this the second Font actually feels his age? I do suppose Rosas Jr. is the type of fighter who will make him discover out. Rosas will push the motion in there, and that youthful exuberance — if he can harness it proper as he did with Vince Morales in what I believed was an excellent step ahead — I can see him sporting Font down.

You already know what could be an announcement from Rosas Jr.? Ending Font. In 20 UFC fights, he has been completed simply as soon as — 9 years in the past in opposition to Pedro Munhoz.

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Bonus: Which different combat on UFC 326 is grabbing your consideration? Chuck: I’ll go forward and say it: This preliminary card is fairly anemic. It could actually’t be good when so many Codys are stuffed into one place, and right here we've got three: Garbrandt, Durden and Brundage.

Strictly talking from an intrigue standpoint, I’ll go along with Nyamjargal Tumendemberel, the Mongolian flyweight, who has the presence of a real warrior. He's actually early in his profession, simply 20 professional fights, and didn’t look spectacular in his debut in opposition to Carlos Hernandez, however he when he ended up again on the Street to UFC he regarded incredible in opposition to (somebody named) Terrance Saeteurn.

For those who like fighters from that a part of the world — stunning figures like Mykttybek Orolbai — you’ll love the “Artwork of Knockout.”

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Petesy: You’re proper, the supporting acts are largely forgettable, however actually stacked playing cards really feel like they’re now from a forgotten age. I don’t wish to drag us into previous males shouting on the clouds discourse (once more), so as an alternative, let’s concentrate on the positives.

My favourite type of fights are ones the place you don’t know who's going to win, however you recognize somebody goes to get splattered. With that in thoughts, I want to submit Drew Dober vs. Michael Johnson to the dialog.

This combat actually has no stakes connected to it apart from each guys have glorious fingers and a variety of signature highlight-reel knockouts. It’s an ideal SGS (somebody’s getting splattered) matchup and I personally can not wait.