Holloway, Oliveira eye rematch with BMF belt next year

Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira have signaled mutual interest in a rematch that could be booked early next year, with Holloway offering to put his BMF belt on the line and Oliveira saying a victory would position him for another run at the undisputed lightweight title. The exchange followed Oliveira's rebound submission win over Mateusz Gamrot in Brazil in October and comes amid a unsettled lightweight division still recalibrating after recent title fights.

Holloway, who reclaimed the symbolic BMF title in 2024 and defended it in July, said he wants the Oliveira rematch and believes it would draw widespread interest. "That's the fight I want. That's the fight a lot of people want to see. We have history," Holloway said in a recent interview. Oliveira, who bounced back from a knockout loss to Ilia Topuria earlier this year, publicly called for the matchup and said winning the BMF would be a step toward regaining UFC gold. "My goal now is to fight for the BMF against Holloway, and after I win the title, I am going to fight for the undisputed title again," Oliveira said through a translator.

The two fighters first met in 2015 in Saskatoon. That bout ended in an early stoppage...