Charles Oliveira’s BMF title win over Max Holloway at UFC 326 was impressive, but not everyone was happy with how it played out.
Oliveira leaned heavily on his grappling to take control of the fight, a strategy that even drew criticism from Conor McGregor, who felt it wasn’t exactly what fans had hoped to see.
While Oliveira’s performance was strong from a tactical standpoint, some fans at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas chose not to stick around until the end, and many watching from home voiced their frustration online.
The Brazilian has now confirmed that he knows who his next opponent will be and says an announcement is coming soon. There has been a lot of talk suggesting Nate Diaz could be the man standing across from him. For now, though, we wait for official confirmation.
Some weren’t thrilled by the way that Charles Oliveira won the BMF title on Saturday night. The likes of Conor McGregor were critical of Oliveira after he beat Max Holloway by dominating the champion with his grappling.
Charles Oliveira’s game plan was to be patient and wait for the referee
Oliveira’s control-focused strategy drew boos from the crowd, but Rogan defended the approach, suggesting those frustrated by the pace simply didn’t appreciate the level of grappling on display.
The Brazilian racked up almost 21 minutes of control time off five successful takedown attempts, winning every round on the judges’ scorecards.
Speaking on UFC’s ‘About Last Fight’ after his win, Oliveira explained that he knew he couldn’t afford to rush against Holloway. He pointed out how referee warnings factored into his approach.
“We knew that the best path, the path of least resistance, was actually on the ground and we needed to do that,” he said via a translator. “Listen, be patient. When you’re there, move around a little bit, wait a little bit for the ref to tell you to start moving, start doing something, action and then you do it. We needed to have patience. We could not make a mistake and I did not make any.”
The fight may not have matched expectations for a BMF title bout in terms of excitement, but Oliveira’s strategy effectively nullified Holloway’s offence. The champion managed just 26 significant strikes in over 20 minutes inside five rounds.
Cormier also highlighted how Holloway deserved credit for surviving on the ground against such an accomplished grappler.
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