One Last Hoorah: Two Former Champions Duke It Out for the BMF
As many of you may know, this weekend Charles Olivera is fighting in his home country of Brazil for the first time since losing his title fight to Ilia Topuria. The quick turnaround for this fight has been a hot topic in the MMA world for some weeks now. Originally, Olivera was set to come back against Rafael Fiziev, a Muay Thai specialist regarded for his knockout power, but after suffering an unfortunate injury to his knee, Fiziev had to pull out. In a shocking turn of events, Mateusz Gamrot stepped in on short notice to fill the now-empty shoes of Fiziev. This change has sparked a debate about whether the new opponent is a more manageable challenge for Olivera. Historically, Olivera has been known to take unnecessary damage early in his fights. The chance to fight a wrestler and not fight a KO artist like Fiziev should be welcome, but that is not what Olivera has spent this camp training for. He is now behind on preparation for a style he did not believe he would meet, and yet the former champ’s resolve seems to be stronger than ever. So much so that he’s begun to talk about who he wants to fight next after he wins this Saturday.
The fight Olivera seems intent on getting to is one we’ve seen before. Max Holloway, a former opponent and former featherweight champion, is the man Olivera has put between his crosshairs. When they first fought years ago, Charles tapped out quickly to the incoming strikes from Holloway. It was later revealed that his collarbone had been injured and subsequently broken during the fight. The two have never fought a fully healthy match to its end, which is exactly what Olivera is aiming for after this Saturday. Charles stated that should he win this weekend, the BMF belt is his primary focus, but can he get through Holloway?
Currently, Holloway is out until at least the first quarter of 2026 with a broken hand that he received in his fight with Dustin Poirier. Despite his most recent loss to Topuria, Holloway has never looked better as a complete martial artist. His strikes are quicker and sharper than they were in his fights against Alexander Volkanovski, and he seems to be adapting to lightweight quite comfortably. If a rematch between the two were to transpire, it would surely become an instant classic. Olivera is a completely different fighter than he was at featherweight, but so is Holloway. Both fighters are in the latter half of their careers, but still have the same hunger, if not more than when they first met. I’m sure I share the thoughts of many MMA fans when I say I hope Olivera pulls it off this weekend. Few fights could bring in a bigger audience than Charles Olivera v. Max Holloway, and this weekend set out to determine that very thing.
