The main event of UFC 326 produced a surprise performance from Charles Oliveira in a rematch 11 years in the making for the ceremonial BMF title in Las Vegas.  

Former lightweight Oliveira, 36, relied on his grappling to shut out and completely dominate Max Holloway over five rounds inside T-Mobile Arena. In the co-headliner, middleweight contender Caio Borralho bounced back from his first UFC defeat by winning all three rounds on all three scorecards to take a decision from Reinier de Ridder. 

Let’s take a look at the biggest takeaways from an exciting night at the fights. 

1. Charles Oliveira delivered the performance not enough of us saw coming

Despite how legendary this matchup was on paper in a fight that set a record for the most combined UFC wins in a single fight, the 34-year-old Holloway held firmly as a nearly 2-to-1 betting favorite and many (including this writer) predicted he would finish Oliveira in an all-action fight. But, in hindsight, there simply wasn’t enough talk about just how big Oliveira is for the division. Historically, Holloway has been stingy when it comes to takedown defense. But he had never fought a grappler this big or skilled and it showed immediately. Oliveira routinely took Holloway down with ease and spent most of the first two rounds threatening chokes while beating the former featherweight king up with ground and pound. Oliveira also held the advantage the rare times they exchanged on the feet to begin each round. Already the UFC recordholder for finishes, submissions and post-fight bonuses, Oliveira also moved into second place for most wins (two behind Jim Miller’s record of 27). Adding a name like Holloway to his legendary resume — and doing so by complete domination — was something very few pundits or fans had on their bingo card. 

2. If we’re being honest, Oliveira’s performance was not befitting of a BMF title fight

On one hand, it’s hard to criticize a fighter who just won seemingly every second of a 25-minute title fight against a fellow legend. But the BMF title was created to showcase the combined toughness and violent striking of two action legends and, without question, MMA fans expected (rightfully) for this rematch to be an all-out war. While Oliveira wasn’t exactly resistant to exchanging strikes with Holloway (and the Brazilian doubled Holloway’s output in significant strikes landed), he did quickly shoot for takedowns in all five rounds and amassed an absurd control time of 20 minutes and 49 seconds over the 25-minute fight. This simply wasn’t the spirit of a title lineage that was created in 2019 to honor the swagger and exploits of celebrated brawlers Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz. No one is saying Oliveira was expected to make this fight easier for Holloway. It’s just that anymore performances like the one Oliveira delivered on Saturday will quickly make the delightfully gimmicky BMF title played out and unnecessary.   

3. Oliveira’s gameplan and post-fight demeanor proved what matters most to him

For “Do Bronx,” defeating Holloway in their rematch wasn’t about the BMF title. It was about taking one giant step forward toward his real goal: regaining the UFC lightweight title. That was apparent not only by Oliveira’s decision to grapple and methodically beat up Holloway but also his reluctance to call out a big name after the victory. Instead of trying to secure a BMF title defense against, say, a returning Conor McGregor at July’s International Fight Week in Las Vegas, Oliveira pushed UFC brass for a last-minute opportunity on the June White House card and mentioned his want for a title fight next. Oliveira, who was knocked out by Ilia Topuria in their vacant lightweight bout last June, put himself in a strong position to get a second chance should Topuria defeat interim titleholder Justin Gaethje in the recently announced White House main event. 

4. Raul Rosas Jr. is evolving quickly but still has more work to do

At just 21, Rosas was stepping up considerably in class on Saturday for his seventh walk to the Octagon by facing his first ranked opponent in 38-year-old Rob Font. But even though Rosas would go on to pass the test with flying colors by pitching a shutout on all three scorecards and completing a bantamweight three-round record of 16 takedowns, his performance was a bit one-dimensional. Rosas, who won his fifth straight bout since his lone pro defeat in a 2023 decision loss to Christian Rodriguez, ultimately relied on his wrestling to a fault. Even though it was the right strategic move to get past the striking-heavy Font, it failed to showcase whether Rosas’ own striking could hold up at this level. Rosas will likely earn a top-15 ranking with the win and is still on pace at 21 years, 5 months to potentially break Jon Jones’ UFC record (23 years, 8 months) as the youngest champion. But it will be difficult to call him a true title threat until he levels up his striking to where his incredible grappling skills already lie. 

5. ‘RoboCop’ is quietly becoming a legitimate threat at middleweight

In the three years since Gregory Rodrigues was knocked out in Round 1 by countryman Bruno Ferreira, he won six of his next seven fights, including four by knockout. But it wasn’t until he changed his demeanor and gameplan entering their rematch on Saturday that he truly looked like a future title contender. The 34-year-old Rodrigues opened calm, cool and patient this time, which is a departure from his normal aggressive starts that have often left him fatigued late in fights. Not only did Rodrigues control distance, he waited for the risk-taking Ferreira to come to him and lined him up with a perfect right cross to knock him out less than two minutes into their rematch. Rodrigues has always had size, tremendous power and a solid ground game but if he continues to add the veteran wrinkles and utilize his fight IQ, a run into the top 10 appears likely.