Featured Photo: UFC 326 Poster (Photo Credit / UFC)
UFC 326 Holloway vs. Oliveira pits two fan favorites against each other on top of a well organized undercard. However, there has been some pushback from fans; many have become accustomed to numbered cards being headlined with a division title fight.
The last numbered card to not feature a division title was UFC 291: Poirier vs. Gaethje 2, which was headlined by the BMF title. Excluding the BMF title, the last would be March 5, 2022, for UFC 272: Covington vs. Masvidal. Many fans believe this could be the new norm due to the Paramount+ deal.
The event will take place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV. This arena has been home to more than 30 UFC events and has hosted some of the biggest cards, such as UFC 200 and 300.
Early Prelims:
Jeong-yeong def. Bolaños
Tobias def. Nurgozhay
Aguilar def. Mudaerji
Prelims:
Garbrandt vs. Long
At one point in his career Cody Garbrandt was the king of the Bantamweight division. He beat the man that many people consider the best Bantamweight ever, Dominick Cruz. Since then, his career has been on a steep decline, and he has lost his last two fights. His last win came back in 2023, when he got a KO victory over Brian Kelleher.
Xiao Long is an MMA veteran with over 37 career fights. He is 1-2 since joining the UFC in June 2024 so this fight is a true test of whether Long is UFC caliber. He possesses a good striking capability along with a decent submission game, but he has taken a lot of damage over his career, with many of his fights going the distance.
Prediction: Long via. Unanimous decision
Turcios vs. Montes
Ricky Turcios was a very intriguing prospect coming off his season of The Ultimate Fighter, but that hype would not last long as he would lose to Alemann Zahabi. He is currently coming off two losses and hoping to reignite some of the hype he had coming into the UFC.
Alberto Montes is a new member of the UFC roster, coming off of a win on Dana White’s Contender Series. This will be his first fight in nearly two years. He holds a record of 11-1 and looks to become a familiar name amongst UFC fans.
Prediction: Montes via. Submission
Main Card:
Rodrigues vs. Ferreira
These fighters have met before, back at UFC 283:Teixeira vs. Hill. Where Ferreira would come out as the victor via KO.
Since then, Gregory Rodrigues has been a consistent contender in the Middleweight division. He has been able to beat most of the competition put in front of him, but when put into a title eliminator bout, he always comes up short. With a win, he hopes to put himself back in the top 10 rankings of the division.
Bruno Ferreira is coming off the biggest win of his career against Marvin Vettori. He is a well rounded fighter that possesses the ability to KO his opponents, along with being a strong submission artist if the fight makes it to the ground. This fight will give Ferreira the opportunity enter the top 10 of the division for the first time.
Prediction: Ferreira via. Submission
Dober vs. Johnson
Drew Dober has been in the UFC since 2014. He has never been the apprentice of mediocrity. He has notable victories over several opponents, but the competition he has lost to is just as strong. Dober is coming off a victory, but at the age of 37, a title run is very far out of reach at this point.
Michael Johnson is at a very similar point in his career as Dober; both men are at the tail end of their careers. However, Johnson is currently on a three-fight win streak and has looked like a younger version of himself.
Prediction: Johnson via. Unanimous decision
Font vs. Rosas Jr.
Rob Font is another UFC legend who’s been around since 2014. He has faced many other legends and top ranked opponents, but has always been in the middle of the pack when it comes to the rankings. Font is a strong striker, but as he has aged, his chin and stamina have worsened. Which may become a factor in this fight.
The youngest person to compete in the UFC fight, Raul Rosas Jr. He had his first fight at the age of 18, and won with a submission. Showing that he was more than just a young guy in a big promotion. However, there are fights where he shows his age. Such as gassing out quickly, leading to him not being able to produce for a full three rounds. Since his loss, he has shown steady improvement in all of his fights.
Prediction: Rosas Jr via Submission
Borralho vs. De Ridder
Caio Borralho has looked really good since joining the UFC. In his last fight, which was a number one contender fight. He would find himself coming up short against Nassourdine Imavov. Before the loss, he was on a 14-fight win streak and dominated the majority of his opponents in all aspects of the fight.
Reinier De Ridder is a veteran in the sphere of MMA. With most of his time being spent in ONE Championship. Once he got to the UFC, fans did not know what to expect out of him. He would string together four wins, putting the fan base on notice and getting his name into title talks. However, he would lose his most recent fight to Brendan Allen via KO, which put a halt to his title aspirations.
Prediction: Borralho via. Unanimous decision
Holloway vs. Oliveira
This rematch comes almost 11 years after these two first met in the octagon at UFC Fight Night, but there is way more to the story. In the original fight, Oliveria looked to quit mid-round one and would be given a KO loss to Holloway. Since then, both fighters have gone on to have all-time great careers and respected title runs.
Max Holloway is considered to be “your favorite fighters, favorite fighter.” In recent years, he has been in an awkward position, being stuck between two all-time great title runs. The first one being Alexander Volkanovski’s title run, where they would fight three times, but each time Holloway would not be able to overcome his biggest rival.
Next would be Illia Topuria’s title reign, in which he has KO’ed his way into a number two position in the men’s pound-for-pound ranks. Even Holloway would become a victim of Topuria’s power,
Holloway mixes a very strong boxing base with high-level defense and the ability to pick apart his opponent. He holds the record for the most significant strikes and strikes landed in the UFC ever. He can throw over 500 strikes in a fight and look as fresh as he did going into the fight.
Charles Oliveira is a submission artist who has the ability to KO anyone who steps to him in the octagon. When he entered the UFC, he would struggle to make weight and dealt with many health issues, but once he found a home in the Lightweight division he strung together 12 wins with three of them being in title fights.
In his recent fights, he has found himself fighting a new generation of fighters who are able to balance power with speed and agility. He would face Illia Topuria and be KO’d in brutal fashion. This would highlight one of his biggest flaws; Oliveria is willing to take a punch if it means he will get to land a punch. This works when facing an opponent with little power, but leaves him susceptible to getting KO’d.
However, you can not doubt Oliveira because he has multiple submission victories from bottom position, along with holding the record for most career finishes. An Oliveria fight is not over until the final bell rings, or someone is not able to continue.
Prediction: Holloway via TKO.
