The UFC returns this weekend as UFC 326 takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas headlined by legendary duo Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira battling for the BMF Title.
The duo fought each other way back in 2015 in the featherweight division, but the bout was stopped after just 99 seconds when the Brazilian suffered a neck injury. But both have gone on to have Hall of Fame careers since, and now they will meet at the peak of their powers in the lightweight division.
We’ll take a look at the main event and break down each fighter to provide you with our best free UFC betting picks, and try to earn you some extra cash while you take in the action in the cage.
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Two of the best and most exciting fighters of their generation will go toe-to-toe once more this weekend, with the honour of climbing the rankings and holding the BMF title up for grabs.
The Hawaiian comes into the fight as a former undisputed featherweight champion, and having won four of his last five fights. ‘Blessed’ dominated Arnold Allen to a unanimous decision win before knocking out the Korean Zombie in his final bout of an illustrious career.
Holloway then moved up to lightweight to fight for the BMF belt and knocked out Justin Gaethje in one of the greatest performances in UFC history, earning him another shot at the featherweight crown. There he fell to defeat against Ilia Topuria, who handed him the first knockout loss of his career, but he bounced back last time out to defend the BMF title and send the legendary Dustin Poirier into retirement with a unanimous decision win.
Now 34, Holloway enters this fight with a 27-8 professional record, which includes 12 wins by knockout.
Oliveira, on the other hand, comes into this in a rough period of his career, having gone 3-3 in his last six fights, to take his professional record to 36-11 (1 no contest), including ten wins by knockout and a record-breaking 22 wins by submission.
After a stunning 11 fight win streak that included victories over Tony Ferguson, Michael Chandler, Dustin Poirier, and Justin Gaethje, earning him the undisputed lightweight title, Oliveira saw the run snapped with a submission loss against Islam Makhachev.
‘Do Bronx’ bounced back with a dominant first-round knockout win over Beneil Dariush, but then slipped to another defeat, this time on the scorecards against Arman Tsarukyan. A rematch against Chandler saw him get back in the win column and earn another title shot, but he was knocked out brutally by Ilia Topuria.
Last time out, Oliveira defeated Mateusz Gamrot via submission, extending his record as the fighter with the most finishes and submission wins in UFC history.
While both fighters are very well-rounded in their skillsets, it’s clear that they both have clear strengths and a route to victory at the same time.
Holloway is an elite striker with some of the best boxing in the UFC. His jab is efficient and sharp, he has a good variation of shots and he regularly uses his cardio as a weapon, marching forward with pressure and chipping away at his opponent.
Oliveira, meanwhile, is one of the greatest grapplers the sport has ever seen, and has shown an ability to wrestle and control opponents regularly during his career, despite his excellent striking skills.
With that said, both fighters are more than comfortable in the other’s wheelhouse. Holloway is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt who has only ever been submitted once in his career, by Poirier in his UFC debut. Oliveira is an excellent striker too, having knocked out ten opponents, with many of his submission wins coming after he dropped his opponent with strikes.
For either to be successful, they need to stick to what got them to the dance. While it won’t be easy regardless, both have clear advantages, and that will be their easiest path to victory.
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When you look at the match-up between these two fighters, and the form they’re currently in heading into this fight, then it’s hard to see Holloway not coming away with the victory.
Oliveira has regularly marched forward in fights to pressure opponents, but Holloway is arguably the best around at doing that himself, and the Brazilian has struggled in the past when being forced backwards.
‘Blessed’ has also shown to have great knockout power in the lightweight division, hurting Poirier several times in his last fight, and Oliveira’s chin has known to be a little shaky over the years. But with the respect level high, this is likely to be entertaining throughout, but with neither fighter taking major risks.
That suits Holloway more than Oliveira, and with +260 odds available for him to take the victory on the scorecards, that value is too good to ignore.
About the Author
Daniel is a football writer who has a great thirst for the Premier League and other major European leagues. A lover of the beautiful game and a firm believer that the eye test is better than statistics. Also an avid MMA fan.
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