UFC 326 Preview: what to expect
Before the lights go up. Before the roar of thousands of fight fans turns the T-Mobile Arena into something primal. Before a single glove is touched, the story of UFC 326 is already written in the scars, the setbacks, and the unfinished business of the men and women who will walk into the octagon on March 7.
Las Vegas has always been the heartbeat of the UFC. The fight capital. The place where legacies are forged and myths are shattered in equal measure. On this night, the octagon returns to the T-Mobile Arena for a card that carries the weight of history and redemption.
This is the new era of MMA, another major numbered event to broadcast under the UFC’s new landmark deal with Paramount. From top to bottom, UFC 326 is stacked; divisional implications, blood feuds reignited, and the next generation of stars looking to announce themselves on the biggest stage in combat sports.
The main event – Holloway vs Oliveira 2: unfinished business
Lightweight Bout – BMF Title
At the centre of it all, two of the most beloved fighters of this generation collide for the second time.
Max “Blessed” Holloway and Charles “Do Bronx” Oliveira. The BMF title on the line, and a decade of history between them demand a proper conclusion.
Rewind back to August 2015, Canada. Two rising featherweights headlined a Fight Night card, both riding momentum and carrying the hunger of men who believed they were destined for greatness. However, the fight didn’t live up to expectation. Lasting only 99 seconds, Oliveira shot for a takedown and crumpled onto the side of the canvas, and a mysterious neck injury left him unable to continue – TKO Holloway. There was no closure though, no definitive answer. Rushed to the hospital, Oliveira couldn’t feel his left side, and thought his career was over.
It wasn’t.
In the 11 years since that night in Saskatoon, Canada, both men have rewritten their own stories in ways that nobody could have predicted. Holloway became the undisputed featherweight champion, defending the belt three times. With his legendary volume striking, the most finishes in featherweight history, the most significant strikes landed in a career, the man is to be considered an all-time great. And then came that moment at UFC 300, with the final ten seconds against Justin Gaethje where Holloway points to the floor, calls for a firefight and delivers one of the most iconic knockouts the sport has ever seen. In that single punch, the BMF title found its rightful owner.
And Oliveira? The man who was told at nine years old that he might never walk again. Hospitalised for two years as a child in the favelas of São Paulo. The kid who sold cheese on Guarujá beach with his mother came back from that night in Saskatoon and became one of the most decorated lightweights to ever compete. The lightweight championship, most finishes in UFC history (21), most Fight Night bonus awards (21). Charles Oliveira didn’t just survive, he became a force of nature.
Holloway comes off a dominant decision win over Dustin Poirier at UFC 318 – his first BMF title defence. His striking output remains otherworldly, his cardio virtually unmatched among lightweights, and his chin known to be one of the hardest in UFC history. The question is whether Oliveira, the most dangerous submission artist in UFC history with relentless forward pressure, can drag Holloway onto the canvas, where it becomes a completely different contest. If it stays on the feet, Holloway’s speed, volume, and accuracy could be the difference. Either way – expect fireworks.
The co-main event – Borralho vs De Ridder: redemption at 185
Middleweight Bout
These two men were on the doorstep of a title shot, but both watched that door close. And now, only one of them can start that journey back towards it.
Caio Borralho, the leader of the Fighting Nerd team, arrived in the UFC off Dana White’s Contender Series in 2021 and proceeded to go on a seven-fight win streak inside the octagon. Notable wins over Abus Magomedov, Michal Oleksiejczuk, Jared Cannonier and Paul Craig had him positioned as the next challenger to middleweight gold. Then came UFC Paris where Nassourdine Imavov snapped a streak that had stretched over ten years. Borralho now carries the unfamiliar weight of a loss, and the dangerous motivation that comes with it.
Across the cage will stand Reinier de Ridder. The former two-division ONE Championship titleholder arrived in the UFC like a wrecking ball; four wins in nine months over Gerald Meerschaert, Kevin Holland, Bo Nickal and most notably – Robert Whittaker. It was one of the most impressive debut runs in recent memory, and then against Brendan Allen in Vancouver, his body broke down. His corner threw in the towel before the fifth round. Questions now emerge about his durability, his heart, his ceiling. RDR has spent the months since recalibrating – physically and mentally. He enters UFC 326 with something to prove, but is this too soon?
Stylistically, this is a compelling puzzle. Borralho is the measured distance striker with defensive grappling; patient, composed, comfortable managing range with feints and long kicks while waiting for his moment to commit. He wants open space and a fight fought at the tip of his range. De Ridder on the other hand is looking to close that distance, smother Borralho against the fence, and drag the fight into the clinch where his body locks, grinding clinch strikes, trips, and relentless top control can take over. Once RDR gets on top, particularly in the early rounds when his energy is highest, his submission game is as dangerous as anyone’s at 185 pounds. The question is whether Borralho’s defensive grappling and takedown resistance can keep this fight in the realm where he’s king, or whether De Ridder can collapse the space and turn this fight into the grinding and suffocating affair he needs.
Both fighters are coming off their first UFC losses. The middleweight division is wide open and volatile right now with no clear title contender outside of Nassourdine Imavov. A statement win here could catapult the victor straight back into title conversations as next in line. This is a high-stakes, high-pressure elimination bout with major implications at 185.
Card highlights
Rob Font vs Raul Rosas Jr. – Bantamweight
A battle between generations. Rob Font, the seasoned gatekeeper of 135 known for his high output boxing, takes on Raul Rosas Jr., the youngest fighter to ever sign a UFC contract – now just 21 years old and already carrying an impressive professional record of 11-1.
Rosas Jr. signed his UFC contract at 17 whilst still attending high school, a dominant Contender Series performance left the boss himself, Dana White, calling him “special” and “different”. His grappling is suffocating and persistent, his submissions sharp, and his confidence beyond his years. But is this all too early? Font represents the biggest test of his career, a major step up from anyone he has ever faced, a legitimate top 15 bantamweight who has shared the cage with the division’s elite.
If Rosas Jr. can handle the step up, the bantamweight division should take serious notice of the submission-heavy fighter. Font will look to keep this standing and use his jab at range. Rosas will be hunting relentlessly for takedowns and back takes. The scrambles in this one could be electric.
Gregory “Robocop” Rodrigues vs Brunno “Hulk” Ferreira – Middleweight
This fight will be one to watch. Pure and simple. Hands and violence. This is the rematch that middleweight fans have been waiting for.
When these two Brazilians first met at UFC 283 in January 2023, Ferreira announced himself to the UFC with a devastating first-round knockout over Rodrigues. It was the kind of finish that puts a man’s name on the map. In the three years since, both fighters have had their share of ups and downs – Rodrigues climbing back to earn a ranking at number 13 after notable wins over Christian Leroy Duncan, Jack Hermansson, and Roman Kopylov, while Ferreira has pieced together three consecutive wins after some turbulence in his own career.
This one’s personal. Rodrigues is walking back into the cage with the man who knocked him out cold on one of the biggest stages. There is no hiding from that memory. He either rewrites it, or Ferreira makes it 2-0.
Both men carry knockout power and neither are interested in a tactical chess match. This fight is almost certainly ending in another KO. The question is which direction the violence will tilt.
Cody Garbrandt vs Long Xiao – Bantamweight
The former bantamweight champion Cody “No Love” Garbrandt returns to the octagon against China’s Long Xiao. Once considered one of the most explosive knockout artists at 135, Garbrandt is in the twilight of his career and looking to remind the world of the talent that once dethroned Dominick Cruz in what some considered to be one of the greatest performances of all time. For Long Xiao, a win over a former champion on a major card like this could be a career-changing moment.
Drew Dober vs Michael Johnson – Lightweight
Two exciting stand-up fighters at 155 pounds. Dober and Johnson will both be looking for a firefight, neither will have any interest in going to a decision. This is the kind of bout that could steal the show. Expect a high pace and hands to be flying from the opening bell, especially from Drew Dober.
Prospects & sleeper fights
Donte Johnson vs Cody Brundage
Donte “Lockjaw” Johnson, remember this name. The 27-year-old from Wisconsin is 7-0 as a professional and has finished every single opponent he’s faced – six by knockout, one by submission. He earned his UFC contract with a 64-second demolition on the Contender Series, then showed a new dimension on his official debut by submitting Sedriques Dumas with a ninja choke in the second round. A perfect record with a 100% finish rate is rare at any level of MMA, and Johnson carries the kind of violent, calculated intent that makes a prospect into a star. If he keeps the streak alive against Brundage, the middleweight division will need to start paying some serious attention.
Luke Fernandez vs Rodolfo Bellato
A light heavyweight bout between two fighters looking to climb. Fernandez has shown serious promise and this is the kind of fight where a young contender can make a statement.
Su Mudaerjivs Jesus Aguilar
A flyweight bout with sneaky banger potential. Su Mudaerji has shown highlight-reel striking in the past, and Aguilar brings grit and durability. Will Mudaerji’s fast straight find the chin of Jesus Aguilar?
Why this card matters
UFC 326 arrives at a pivotal moment for the sport. A new broadcast era. A card stacked with narratives that stretch back a decade. Two men who have defined their respective weight classes, separated by one inconclusive night in 2015, finally getting the rematch that fate has demanded.
For Max Holloway, this is about legacy, about proving that the BMF title is more than symbolic, that it represents the most dangerous man willing to step into the cage at any given time.
For Charles Oliveira, this is about his story. The boy from the favelas who was told he’d never walk. The fighter who thought his career was over in an ambulance in Canada. The champion who lost and came back, again, and again, and again.
On March 7, inside the T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, under the brightest lights in combat sports – they settle it.
