This page may contain affiliate links. If you click and sign up, make a deposit, or place a wager, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.
Oliveira took an unexpected approach to beating Holloway at UFC 326
Mar 8, 2026 at 6:30 am ET • 1 min read
LAS VEGAS -- Charles Oliveira has a shiny silver present for his mother's birthday. On Friday, Oliveira celebrated his mom's birthday by promising to deliver her the BMF championship. It was a bold proclamation from the underdog, but the favela's favorite son pulled through against Max Holloway at UFC 326.
Saturday's main event didn't follow the typical BMF formula. Oliveira, already possessing razor-sharp submissions and strikes, showed off the latest evolution in a career full of reinventions. Oliveira overpowered Holloway with takedowns -- something no one had done with such consistency throughout a legendary career. Holloway was helpless to stop them, nor get back to his feet. Holloway's only real success was his submission defense, which held up in perilous positions against the UFC's submission record-holder. Oliveira's wrestle-heavy performance drew a mix of cheers and boos against his fellow fan-favorite.
The fight may not have lived up to the BMF title's reputation, but it suggests that Oliveira's best days are ahead of him. Heading into UFC 326, Oliveira repeatedly voiced how the 2015 version of himself -- the one who lost to Holloway -- was the "Oliveira of jiu-jitsu," not the "Oliveira of MMA." After their first fight, Oliveira developed a potent striking game to complement his submission attacks. Now he's added robust wrestling, making him an offensive threat everywhere.
Oliveira improved to 37-11 (1 NC) and has won consecutive fights since losing a vacant lightweight title fight to Ilia Topuria. Holloway lost for the first time since moving up to lightweight full-time after BMF title wins over Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier.
The live feedback to Oliveira's strategy was mixed, but the people who matter most to him left satisfied. For the first time in his career, Oliveira brought his entire family to one of his fights. The "Do Bronx" family flies home to Brazil with the BMF title promised to them.
Elsewhere on the card, Caio Borralho returned to the winner's circle with a dominant victory over Reinier de Ridder in the co-main event. Despite de Ridder's attempts to slow the Brazilian down with grappling, Borralho still managed to do plenty of damage in the striking game. Plus, rising bantamweight Raul Rosas Jr. continued his ascent up the rankings with a clear win over veteran Rob Font. Rosas will like have a ranking next week, making him the youngest male fighter to achieve the feat.
CBS Sports was with you the entire way on Saturday with updates, analysis and round by round scoring throughout the event. Thanks for stopping by.
- Charles Oliveira def. Max Holloway (c) via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)
- Caio Borralho def. Reinier de Ridder via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Raul Rosas Jr. def. Rob Font via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Drew Dober def. Michael Johnson via second-round TKO (punch)
- Gregory Rodrigues def. Brunno Ferreira via first-round knockout (punch)
- Complete UFC 326 fight card with all preliminary bouts
Drew Dober closes the curtains on Michael Johnson
Dober opens with lead leg kicks. Johnson lands with combination boxing. Dober misses a spinning wheel kick. Dober switches to the inside leg kick and lands. Dober throws wide, Johnson intercepts with a counter right hook. Johnson lands a sneaky jab behind a lead leg kick. Dober throws his entire body behind a right hand that puts Johnson to sleep! A single follow-up punch is the icing on the cake. Official result: Dober def. Johnson via second-round KO.
Charles Oliveira wrestles his way to the BMF championship
Oliveira didn't follow the BMF blueprint, but he's the new BMF champion. Oliveira outmuscled Holloway from beginning to end, overwhelming the defending champ with takedowns and ground control. Holloway survived Oliveira's record-setting submission game, but could do little less underneath the former lightweight champ. He took down Holloway with more consistency than anyone the former featherweight champ ever had. Oliveira won the fight 50-45 across the board.
Max Holloway vs. Charles Oliveira -- Round 5
We start the round with a hug. Oliveira dials up the pressure with a hard boxing combination before shooting the takedown. Holloway stuffs it, throwing an elbow down the middle. Holloway winds up on top this time, trying a different strategy in a fight he's handily losing. Holloway needs to get busy, but he's having trouble finding openings. Oliveira gets up, snatches a single leg, and takes down Holloway. "Blessed" gets to his feet with 20 seconds left, but he doesn't have time to capitalize. Oliveira points to the center -- Holloway's trademark -- inviting his opponent to throw down. Oliveira didn't stay planted in the center, but he did sting Holloway with a hard right hook. Unofficial score: 10-9 Oliveira (50-45 Oliveira overall)
Max Holloway vs. Charles Oliveira -- Round 4
Holloway starts with a low kick. Oliveira lands a body kick. Oliveira lands up top. Holloway responds with multiple strikes before sliding out. He doesn't want to stay in front of Oliveira and risk being taken down. Oliveira shoots again as the crowd rains down boos. Holloway desperately fights off the takedown, but it's no use. Oliveira secures a mount, launching elbows at Holloway. One appeared to hit the back of the head, with referee Marc Goddard warning Oliveira. The challenger takes the BMF champion's back in a scramble. A mixture of cheers and boos, but mostly boos, as round four comes to an end. Unofficial score: 10-9 Oliveira (40-36 Oliveira overall)
Max Holloway vs. Charles Oliveira -- Round 3
Oliveira throws a head kick and catches Holloway dipping into the knee. Oliveira with a hard straight, followed by a low kick. Holloway lands a right hook. Oliveira shoots. Holloway defends the first two takedowns. Despite both being former featherweights, Oliveira appears much bigger and stronger than his opponent. Oliveira dumps Holloway to the mat! Oliveira postures up and lands a hard elbow from half guard. Oliveira controlled the position for the remainder of the round, occasionally landing strikes. Unofficial score: 10-9 Oliveira (30-27 Oliveira overall)
Max Holloway vs. Charles Oliveira -- Round 2
Oliveira starts with a front kick. Holloway with a jab to the body. Holloway rips off a four-punch combo. Oliveira shoots a takedown off Holloway's kicks and gets him down! Oliveira slowly works his way to mount against the fence with four minutes to work. "Do Bronx" slowly migrates towards the back. He's hunting the rear-naked choke again. Holloway breaks free but eats six elbows. Oliveira completes the back take. Oliviera switches strategies, landing numerous elbows and punches. Oliveira with another rear-naked choke attempt. He's putting a ton of pressure on Holloway's neck. "Blessed" escapes the submission! Holloway makes it to the bell, but we're trending towards 10-8 category. Unofficial score: 10-9 Oliveira (20-18 Oliveira overall)
Max Holloway vs. Charles Oliveira -- Round 1
Oliveira opens with two nasty low kicks. Holloawy responds with jabs to the head and body. Holloway is putting numbers on Oliveira. "Do Bronx" rushes Holloway and secures a takedown with more than four minutes to work! Oliveira immediately takes side control. Oliveira starts knee sliding to mount. Holloway blocks it. Oliveira comes down with a hard elbow. Holloawy gets to his knees. Oliveira takes the back! Holloway stands up. Oliveira is working on the rear-naked choke. Holloway gets his neck free after some scares. Oliveira starts attacking it again with the lock over Holloway's chin. "Blessed" is careful and patient as Oliveira slowly dials it in. Oliveira is trying to punch his way back into the choke. There's one-and-a-half minutes left on the clock. Oliveira sits back into a more comfortable position. Oliveira throws an elbow. Holloway needs to survive another minute. Oliveira switches direction and starts cranking. It's looking bad but Holloway's defense holds up. Holloway cracks a smile and gives the camera a thumbs up, eliciting huge cheers from the Las Vegas crowd. Unofficial score: 10-9 Oliveira
Up next: Max Holloway vs. Charles Oliveira
UFC 326's main event is all that remains. Holloway defends the ceremonial BMF championship against a deserving contender, Charles Oliveira. The two former UFC champions are among the most successful action fighters in the sport. Holloway holds UFC records for most significant strikes landed and most fights without being knocked down. Oliveira is the all-time leader in finishes and post-fight bonuses. Excitement is guaranteed next.
Caio Borralho completes the Fighting Nerds comeback against Reinier de Ridder
"The Fighting Nerds are back in full force motherf---ers!" Borralho said in his post-fight speech.
In 2024, the quartet of Borralho, Jean Silva, Carlos Prates and Mauricio Ruffy surged into the UFC rankings. They all lost fights in early 2025, raising doubts about their ceiling. After Borralho's win on Saturday, all four members are back to their winning ways.
It wasn't pretty, but Borralho is back in the win column. Borralho kept up, mostly, with De Ridder's pressure. The Fighting Nerds' captain kept his hands low, protecting against De Ridder's takedowns and catching De Ridder from hard to see. De Ridder was competitive, but couldn't sway the judges from giving Borralho every round.
Caio Borralho vs. Reinier de Ridder -- Round 3
Borralho connects clean to start Round 3. Borralho catches De Ridder with a right hook. Good start for the Fighting Nerds captain. De Ridder is biting on the feint. Borrahlo lands another punch, then foot sweeps his foe. De Ridder with a hard knee to the body. Borralho scores the body lock takedown and settles in half guard. Not much is happening on the ground. Borralho knee slices his way into side control. De Ridder pushes off the fence to create a scramble, but Borralho stuffs it. Borralho lands a hard elbow to the head on the way up. De Ridder with a body kick. De Ridder lands the one-two. Borralho counters with a straight left. De Ridder triples up the jab. De Ridder gives chase with more jabs. De Ridder lands a sneaky knee to the head. Borralho catches De Ridder with a hard left hook, followed by a body kick. De Ridder presses forward at the 10-second clacker. A close round, but Borralho landed the better strikes. Unofficial score: 10-9 Borralho (29-28 Borralho)
Caio Borralho vs. Reinier de Ridder -- Round 2
Borralho hurts De Ridder with a punch early in Round 1. De Ridder is on his bike as Borralho cuts off his escape routes. Borralho lands an outside leg kick. De Ridder whiffs on a three-punch combo. Borralho lands against the fence. Borralho scores with a right hook over De Ridder's shoulder. Borralho sticks the jab. De Ridder throws ugly haymakers but can't connect. De Ridder punches his way into a clinch. The former two-division ONE Championship titleholder has Borralho against the fence. Borralho reverses position. De Ridder gets back a dominant position. The crowd is not happy with the grappling. They finally separate. De Ridder lands a stiff jab. A decent one-two from the Dutchman. De Ridder punctuates a sloppy combo with a front kick up to the torso. Borralho scores a low kick. De Ridder continues landing. Borralho with a stiff counter. De Ridder snaps his opponent's head back with a jab. Borralho seems to be slowing down. Borralho took the early round, but De Ridder came alive after that extended grappling sequence. Unofficial score: 10-9 De Ridder (19-19 overall)
Caio Borralho vs. Reinier de Ridder -- Round 1
Borralho immediately rushes De Ridder. Borralho keeps his hands low, likely in preparation for De Ridder's takedowns. Borralho jabs to the body. De Ridder takes a messy shot, stumbling as Borralho side steps him. Both men throw leg kicks, clashing shins. Borralho lands a left hand. De Ridder takes a seat, though it's unclear if he slipped or was knocked down. Borralho starts applying pressure on the feet. De Ridder stops him in his tracks with a groin strike. The fight resumes after a few minutes. De Ridder starts applying pressure. Borralho dodging jabs with his hands down. Borralho lands a hard outside leg kick. Borralho has a cut under his eye. De Ridder eats a hard left hand. Both men land jabs. De Ridder connects with a straight followed by a left hook. Borralho lands two hard punches as De Ridder throws a naked leg kick. Borralho with another straight. Both men land as De Ridder retreats. De Ridder scores a kick to the body. De Ridder with a leg kick. De Ridder takes the back as Borralho pushes forward. Referee Herb Dean warns Borralho for grabbing the fence. De Ridder throws knees to Borralho's hamstrings. De Ridder aggressively chases the takedown. Borralho'ss butt hits the ground, but he hits the switch. A very active opening round. A competitive round, but Borralho landed the harder blows. Unofficial score: 10-9 Borralho
Up next: Caio Borralho vs. Reinier de Ridder
Saturday's co-main event is all about retribution. Borralho and De Ridder fell short in middleweight title auditions against Nassourdine Imavov and Brendan Allen, respectively. Both fighters claimed they made tactical errors. Borralho couldn't train properly after serving as the back-up fighter for a middleweight title fight three weeks before fighting Imavov. De Ridder's body gave out after five fights in 11 months. Tonight, one will correct course while the other takes a long, hard look in the mirror.
