Max Holloway will defend his BMF belt against Charles Oliveira in a lightweight bout at the T-Mobile Arena on March 7.
A rematch 11 years in the making, Holloway and Oliveira headline what should be a blockbuster UFC 326 card.
UFC 326 promises to be an action-packed night as the Fight Nerds’ Caio Borralho also takes on the very dangerous Reinier de Ridder.
Meanwhile, Rob Font faces impressive prospect Raul Rosas Jr.
Read on as we analyse what to expect from these mouth-watering showdowns.
UFC326 Main Card: Holloway vs Oliveira 2
When Holloway and Oliveira met in August 2015, the latter suffered what everyone assumed was a freak shoulder injury.
The injury caused him to give up midway through the fight. Although it was later revealed to be a severe, rare and life-threatening injury in the neck area.
The Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist shrugged off that reputation as a quitter to put together one of the most impressive bodies of work in UFC history.
He currently holds the record for the most submissions in UFC and has established himself as one of the most lethal grapplers in the world.
His ability to fight off his back is remarkable, and strikes fear into opponents’ hearts.
He is coming off the back of a terrific submission win against aggressive wrestler Mateusz Gamrot and will be beaming with confidence.
However, Oliveira is up against a battle-tested, hard-nosed striker, regarded as one of the best boxers in the UFC.
Holloway heads into this fight, eager to continue his winning streak following his victory over Dustin Poirier in his retirement fight.
This clash of styles makes for a fascinating match-up, an elite striker versus a world-class grappler.
Holloway and Oliveira always put on entertaining fights, and fans could be in for an unforgettable night.
Elsewhere, De Ridder and Borralho will be looking to get back to winning ways when they clash, with the winner eyeing a top-five spot in the middleweight rankings.
De Ridder flew out of the blocks in the UFC, beating Robert Whittaker, Bo Nickal, Kevin Holland and Gerald Meerschaert.
The former double-division One FC champion had one eye on a title shot when he took on Brendan Allen, but lost after practically quitting on the stool.
The Dutchman is still as fearsome as they come. He is rangy and packs a nasty knee up the middle.
His jiu-jitsu game is also underrated, and he will be hoping to get his title charge back on track.
However, Borralho is a tricky customer. The highly-touted Brazilian was on a seven-fight win streak before losing to Nassourdine Imavov.
The latter is poised to go on and fight for the title.
Borralho will be well aware that a win over the kickboxer puts him firmly back in the title conversation.
This striker-versus-striker match-up should make for a fantastic watch.
Font versus Rosas Jr is finally happening after the latter pulled out of the first fight scheduled for September last year.
The veteran Font eventually lost to David Martinez, but can atone for it with a victory against one of the most exciting prospects in the Bantamweight division.
Font is an experienced and prolific striker determined to stop the youngest ever winner of Dana White’s Contender Series. The 38-year-old has all the tools to get the job done.
Rosas Jr is part of the new generation of exciting mixed martial artists coming through, and Font will be the biggest test of his mettle.
Lightweight duo Drew Dober and Michael Johnson battle it out on the main card alongside Gregory Rodrigues and Brunno Ferreira.
UFC 326 Preliminary card: Cody Garbrandt aims to stop Xiao Long
The preliminary card at UFC 326 is stacked with a handful of fights that could easily steal the spotlight before the main card even begins.
Topping the prelims is a compelling bantamweight clash between Cody Garbrandt and surging prospect Xiao Long.
Garbrandt remains one of the most recognisable names at 135 pounds, but he’s no longer the electrifying dancer that dethroned Dominick Cruz.
The hand speed is still there. The power still flashes. But the fluid movement that once made him untouchable has faded.
Long is a dangerous, durable, dynamic and unafraid to trade.
He’ll give his opponent no opportunities to uncork something big, but his toughness and tenacity could drag Garbrandt into deep water.
It’s nostalgia versus new blood, and it will be hard to predict this one.
At middleweight, unbeaten prospect Donte Johnson (7-0) meets the battle-tested Cody Brundage.
Johnson showed poise in his debut submission win and is incredibly athletic, even boasting some heavyweight knockouts on his record.
But Brundage is experienced and vicious, even if he hasn’t won in his last three. This is a classic prospect-versus-proof test.
Flyweight continues its surge with Sumudaerji taking on Jesus Aguilar. Both sit just outside the rankings, yet the depth at 125 means the winner could sniff the top 15 next.
Sumudaerji’s recent consistency meets Aguilar’s first-round finishing threat in what feels like a divisional eliminator.
And then Ricky Turcios faces the untested but intriguing Alberto Montes, while flyweights Cody Durden and Nyamjargal Tumendemberel hunt momentum.
Two light heavyweight bouts promise fireworks.
Brazil’s 22-year-old finisher, Rafael Tobias, meets Kazakhstan’s aggressive starter Diyar Nurgozhay.
We get to see unbeaten newcomer Luke Fernandez debut against the unpredictable Rodolfo Bellato.
Keep an eye on the 30-year-old debutant in that one. He comes highly-rated.
And don’t sleep on featherweights JeongYeong Lee and Gaston Bolanos, a pairing that could set the Fight of the Night benchmark early.
Where can I watch UFC 326?
Watch every UFC event on Paramount+
Main card matches:
- Max Holloway vs Charles Oliveira
- Caio Borralho vs Reinier de Ridder
- Rob Font vs Raul Rosas Jr.
- Drew Dober vs Michael Johnson
- Gregory Rodrigues vs Brunno Ferreira
Prelim matches:
- Cody Garbrandt vs Xaio Long
- Donte Johnson vs Cody Brundage
- Ricky Turcios vs Alberto Montes
- Cody Durden vs Nyamjargal Tumendemberel
- Sumudaerji vs Jesus Aguilar
- Rafael Tobias vs Diyar Nurgozhay
- JeongYeong Lee vs Gaston Bolanos
- Luke Fernandez vs Rodolfo Bellato
