Max Holloway has set his sights on Ilia Topuria once more, and this time he desires all the pieces on the desk. The BMF champion is concentrating on a path that runs by way of Charles Oliveira at UFC 326 and leads straight to a rematch with Topuria for each the BMF strap and the undisputed light-weight title.
Max Holloway Eyes Ilia Topuria Rematch After UFC 326 Conflict With Charles Oliveira
Chatting with TNT Sports activities, Holloway laid out his excellent state of affairs, referencing their first assembly and the stakes he desires subsequent time. “In an ideal world, we go on the market, get my hand raised, and do it very fashionably—make it plain, make a second. Then go get Ilia, with the BMF title on the road and the undisputed title as nicely,” Holloway stated. He added that Topuria “was speaking in regards to the final one at 145, however the title wasn’t on the road,” and pushed the accountability again towards the promotion: “You may’t be mad at me—be mad on the UFC. They didn’t enable it.”
Holloway’s frustration is simple to know given how the primary combat ended. Topuria stopped him in the principle occasion of UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi on October 26, 2024, defending the featherweight title with a 3rd‑spherical knockout that handed Holloway the primary KO lack of his profession. A proper hand damage Holloway, a left hook dropped him, and observe‑up floor‑and‑pound pressured the stoppage.
He captured the BMF belt by knocking out Justin Gaethje with a stroll‑off proper hand within the closing seconds of their combat at UFC 300, a end that immediately turned one of many defining moments of the cardboard. He then moved full time to light-weight and outpointed Dustin Poirier in a trilogy bout at UFC 318, turning into the primary BMF champion to log a profitable protection. The UFC has now booked Holloway to defend the BMF title in opposition to former light-weight champion Charles Oliveira in a rematch at UFC 326 on March 7, 2026, at T‑Cell Area in Las Vegas.
Topuria’s place has modified simply as dramatically. After knocking out Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 to win the featherweight belt, he defended in opposition to Holloway at UFC 308, then moved up and knocked out Oliveira within the first spherical at UFC 317 to assert the vacant light-weight title and turn out to be a two‑division champion. Alongside the way in which he spoke repeatedly about his struggles making 145 kilos and steered his featherweight run was nearing its finish, which frames Holloway’s comment about “the final one at 145” and the belt not being at stake.
The light-weight panorama is crowded. An interim title combat between Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett at UFC 324 will produce a compulsory challenger for Topuria. Topuria has indicated curiosity in going through the winner, whereas Holloway is making an attempt to pressure his manner into that dialog by tying his BMF reign to a bid for undisputed gold.
For Holloway, the equation is easy: beat Oliveira once more at UFC 326, maintain the BMF belt, and go away the UFC with a profitable storyline, revenge in opposition to the one man to cease him, with two titles on the road.
