Few fighters can say they thrive inside the octagon like Charles Oliveira, as he handed Max Holloway a one-sided beatdown in the main event of UFC 326.
I was in total shock watching Oliveira rip Holloway apart. After doubting Oliveira heavily going into this fight, I probably should’ve known better.
The two combatants met back in 2015, when Holloway picked up a technical knockout victory after Oliveira suffered a shoulder injury mid-fight. Since then, both men reached championship status in different weight classes, Holloway at featherweight and Oliveira at lightweight.
After a failed attempt to reclaim the featherweight title against Ilia Topuria in late 2024, Holloway decided to make a permanent move up to lightweight in 2025.
Holloway had seen success at lightweight before the move, knocking out Justin Gaethje with one second left in the fifth and final round at UFC 300. He then retired Dustin Poirier back in July 2025, in his first fight as a permanent lightweight.
All of those performances combined really made me doubt Oliveira a bit. Holloway was on a tear, and it looked like nothing was stopping him. Meanwhile, Oliveira had gone 2-2 in his last four fights.
During the fight, it was nothing short of a spectacle of Oliveira’s talents. He had more power in his hands than Holloway; he controlled Holloway effortlessly on the ground, and he kept threatening submissions the entire time.
Oliveira completely negated any forward pressure from Holloway; for a fighter like Holloway, who relies on momentum and attack volume, this was a nightmare.
In their first fight, although it ended abruptly, Holloway looked like the far better fighter. However, this was not the same Oliveira who fought at featherweight. This was a battle-tested, former champion standing across from Holloway now.
In June, the UFC will be headed to the White House lawn. The main event will be between current lightweight champion Topuria and the interim champion Gaethje. I think it may be safe to say that Oliveira should get the winner of that fight and earn another shot at UFC gold.
While the main event is the most important fight to talk about, the rest of the UFC 326 card was solid. We got a couple of fun knockouts that I enjoyed from both Gregory “Robocop” Rodrigues and Drew Dober. I’m a big fan of both fighters and always look forward to seeing them.
Rodrigues was looking to move his two-fight win streak to three. He did it with a beautifully executed right cross in the very first round against Brunno Ferreira. Ferreira was also on a two-fight hot streak before this fight, winning his last bout against former title challenger Marvin Vettori.
Dober was looking for a finish to expand his winning streak to two, and he did it by absolutely flatlining a 39-year-old Michael Johnson with an overhand left, plummeting Johnson’s record to a staggering 25-20. Yeah, not surprised by that, that dude needs to get released at this point. It’s basically elder abuse now.
Those two finishes really helped set the pace for the entire event. Afterwards, we got UFC’s youth sensation Raul Rosas Jr. back from injury, set to face New England’s own Rob Font. Font set the pace early, keeping Rosas Jr. back with his jab.
However, once Rosas Jr. got a hold of Font and took him down, it was a telltale sign of how the fight would end.
Font attempted a promising Kimura attempt, followed by a scary-looking triangle choke attempt. Rosas Jr. defended and was able to pick up a decision win, advancing the 21-year-old to a five-fight winning streak.
Middleweight contender Caio Borralho got a dominant decision win over fellow top contender Reinier De Ridder in the co-main event.
Overall, UFC 326 was an excellent night of fights, and I hope the UFC keeps this up. We’ve had three numbered events this year, and all of them have delivered.
UFC 327 is set to take place on April 11 in Miami. There will be two titles on the line: the light heavyweight championship and the flyweight championship. I’m looking forward to it.
