‘BMF’ stands for the ‘Baddest Motherfu—-‘ in the game. Meaning, to fight for this belt, you have to be regarded as exactly that, a ‘bad mofo‘. Holloway earned the belt by beating Justin Gaethje with a last second KO at UFC 300. Now, he will defend it for the first time against Charles Oliveira.

Holloway is the third BMF title holder of all time. The original one was Jorge Masvidal, followed by Gaethje, and now Holloway. However, Masvidal technically never lost the belt, but he never defended it. He retired and left the belt vacant. Justin Gaethje then knocked out Dustin Poirier to gain the title.

How did the BMF come to be?

Nate Diaz came off of a long layoff to beat Anthony Pettis, and then made an iconic callout to Jorge Masvidal, involving the epic phrase which gave birth to the ‘BMF’ belt. It also made a war between east and west coast fighters.

Both Diaz and Masvidal were huge stars back in the day, and the buildup was so big, that UFC President Dana White, decided to go all in. He announced the BMF belt, they headlined the event, and Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson was the one wrapping the title around the waist of the winner.

No BMF title has ever gone the distance

The first BMF title fight ended in a doctor stoppage TKO, as Masvidal created too much harm on Nate Diaz’s face. Then Gaethje knocked out Poirier with a vicious head kick. The last one, Max Holloway put the beating of a lifetime on Gaethje and end up knocking him out with one second to go in the fight. The BMF belt legacy right now is literally living up to the expectations.

While reports haven’t disclosed any fighter purse, Max Holloway earned around $1 million for his fight at UFC 300 vs. Justin Gaethje, plus an additional $600 thousand in bonuses. When he fought at UFC 308, Yahoo Sports reported that he earned $1.4 million. He should be earning around that mark again, given that he is the defending champion.

Holloway’s career earnings are estimated to be around the $12.5 million mark, excluding undisclosed bonuses. Holloway is one of the most profitable names the UFC has had for about a decade. He embodies the ‘any time, any place, anywhere’ mantra, and his style is very fan-friendly.

How much is Charles Oliveira earning at UFC 326?

Just like Holloway, Charles Oliveira is one of those fighters fans always tune to see. His paychecks rose significantly when he got lightweight gold. According to TheSportingNews, Oliveira earned $1.142 million for his title fight with Dustin Poirier at UFC 269.

However, Sportcasting and GiveMeSport reported his paycheck decreased a bit for his UFC 309 fight against Michael Chandler, where he reportedly earned $1,071 million. Being the holder of most UFC finishes in history, Oliveira has earned north of a million dollars in fight bonuses during his UFC career.

Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira already fought before

Eleven years ago, two young up-and-comers fought. Holloway beat Oliveira by TKO due to the Brazilian suffering a weird throat injury during the fight. However, that fight presented very different versions of each fighter. Now, both are more mature and have championship pedigree.

Also, that fight was at featherweight, while this one will be at lightweight. This means both fighters have less weight to cut, and could carry more power into their shots.

UFC fans around the world are hurting. One of the most popular and beloved fighters of this generation, Charles Oliveira, fell short in his title bout vs. Ilia Topuria on UFC 317’s main event. This is not only a bitter pill to swallow, but puts his future in the division in serious doubts.

See, Charles Oliveira is not an up-and-coming prospect. He is a veteran who has been a champion already, but it seems his prime is ending. At 35 years old, this loss might mark the beginning of the end for one of the best fighters the UFC has ever seen.

Oliveira is 3-3 in his last six fights and losing to former champion Islam Makhachev, number one-ranked fighter in the division Arman Tsarukyan, and now-champ Ilia Topuria, Oliveira won’t sniff another title shot anytime soon. To make it worse, he was finished and outclassed twice in those losses.

How much is left in Oliveira’s tank?

When you look back at Oliveira’s career, you get amazed. He went from a nobody with potential but lacking character, to one of the most cherished fighters with multiple records in the UFC. The former lightweight champion also possess the most performance bonuses in UFC history (13), most post-fight bonuses in UFC history (20), most finishes in UFC history (20), most submission wins in UFC history (16), and the 2021 UFC award for Fan’s Choice Comeback of the Year.

He has a lot of mileage. It’s not only the scenario for him at 155, or the fact that he’s 35. Oliveira has 47 pro bouts and the Topuria knock out might leave him out of action for quite a while. He has no real options to get into the title mix. Also, being too small to fight at 170 and being too big to cut weight back to 145, you must wonder what’s left for Oliveira.

The Hall of Fame awaits

It’s uncertain if he will hang his gloves or not. However, when he does decide to call it a day, Oliveira is a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Being a former champ and having all those records make his case a no-brainer.

Oliveira is at a crossroads. We will have to wait and see what he, the doctors and the UFC say about his future. Right now, there are a lot of chess pieces in the lightweight division that will move. Maybe that clears Oliveira’s mind as to what’s next.

Ilia Topuria is a phenom. After knocking Charles Oliveira out in the main event of UFC 317, he has now reached double-champ status. While he is growing to be the UFC’s biggest star, now the question has to be asked: who’s next?

At first, he reigned supreme at featherweight. His rise to the top was quick and he then knocked out the two best 145ers of all time in consecutive fights. He took the title from Alex Volkanovski, connecting a big right hand that landed flush, down the pipe of the former champ. Then, he became the first man in history to record a knock out on Max Holloway.

Having nothing left to prove on featherweight, Topuria decided to go up a weight class. His resume granted him an immediate title shot. The lightweight division had a vacant belt, so the UFC put Topuria with former champion and fan-favorite Charles Oliveira. After sending Oliveira to the shadow realm, Topuria now has a plethora of new opponents.

First and foremost, he faced off with Paddy Pimblett just after the fight. These two have a long-standing beef. However, UFC president Dana White said “I don’t know who the hell let [Pimblett] in there. That should’ve never happened. Let’s start there. I was already back in my room, or that would’ve never happened.” Paddy is a candidate but not the number one contender. You also have Justin Gaethje in the mix, or Arman Tsarukyan.

Topuria is a legend killer

Topuria is just 28 years old and his resume already has two-division-champ status and plenty of legends destroyed. Volkanovski, Holloway and Oliveira are certified future Hall of Famers and Topuria put them cold on the canvas.

However, he also derailed the career of other two prospects the UFC had. First, he knocked out Ryan Hall in 2021. Hall was 8-1 at that point and since then, he only fought once more and has had multiple knee injuries. Topuria also took the hype away from Bryce Mitchell, who was 15-0 at the time. Following that loss, Mitchell is just 2-2 in the UFC and far away from a UFC title shot. Topuria is taking souls in the octagon, left and right.

Topuria is on pace to become top 5 of all time

When you look at the UFC greats, it’s not only the belts they had, but the names they took out in the process. Topuria is building an all-time great resume. If he retired today, he would have a Hall of Fame career at only 28 years old. Not only that, but he is still undefeated with a 17-0 record and 15 finishes. There are no weaknesses on his game.

If he can continue this (there’s no reason to think he won’t), he will end up in the discussion with Demetrious Johnson, Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre and Jon Jones, who just recently retired.

Charles Oliveira comes from 10 consecutive victories, the last of them being the underdog against Dustin Poirier (the same one who knocked out Connor McGregor) in which he defended his UFC Lightweight Championship. The Brazilian will now go for a new defense, the 11th consecutive victory and the 33th in his entire professional career.

His rival will be the tough American fighter Justin Gaethje, who in his last fight defeated Michael Chandler by unanimous decision on November 6, 2021 at UFC 268, a fight which was considered the Fight of the Night. His great performance allowed him to challenge Oliveira for the UFC Lightweight Championship, which of course he will try to win today, May 7.

Charles Oliveira vs Justin Gaethje: fight information

Date: Saturday, May 7
Time: 10:00 PM (ET)
Location: Footprint Center, Phoenix, Arizona
Live Stream in the US: FuboTV (free trial)-Preliminary fights-

Charles Oliveira vs Justin Gaethje: Time by State in the US

ET: 10:00 PM
CT: 9:00 PM
MT: 8:00 PM
PT: 7:00 PM

Charles Oliveira vs Justin Gaethje: Storylines and Head-to-Head

Both Champion Charles Oliveira has a professional record in 41 fights of 32 wins (9 by KO and 20 by submission) 8 losses and 1 no contest, while challenger Justin Gaethje’s record in 26 fights is 23 wins (19 by KO, 1 by submission) and 3 losses. This is a clear sample of the strengths of each of them.

On the one hand, the champion has a high percentage of wins by submission (more than half of his wins), while Gaethje is a natural puncher with just over 80% of his 23 wins by KO and only 1 submission. It will clearly be a clash of styles.

Oliveirawill try to take the fight to the ground where he will try to take advantage of his advantage in grappling, where he feels more comfortable and has a clear superiority, while the challenger will have to try to stay on his feet where he will undoubtedly have the advantage thanks to the power of his fists. Obviously, he also tried to be careful, because although it is not his strong suit, Oliveira has 9 KO’s in his career and his fists can be dangerous.

How to watch or live stream Charles Oliveira vs Justin Gaethje in the US

The preliminary fights of this UFC 274 will be broadcast in the US on FuboTV (free trial) in the United States. The main card, which include the main fight of the night between Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje can be watched on ESPN+ PPV.

Charles Oliveira vs Justin Gaethje: Predictions and Odds

The Oddsmakers have a favorite for this UFC 274 fight. These are the odds according to Caesars: Charles Oliveira is the favorite to take the victory with -170 odds, while +145 odds will be for the Justin Gaethje’s victory.

Remember that if you live in New York, Las Vegas, Arizona, New Jersey, or any other state that allows regulated sports betting, you can bet for favorite in this fight game as well as all UFC 274 event through Caesars.

*Odds via Caesars

The Brazilian Charles Oliveira wants to continue his winning streak (he has 10 in a row) when he faces the tough American fighter Justin Gaethje in what will be a new defense of the UFC Lightweight Championship, which he successfully defended on December 11, 2021 against Dustin Poirier despite being the underdog in that fight.

The champion has a record as a professional in 41 matches of 32 wins (9 by KO and 20 by submission) 8 losses and 1 no contest. For his part, Justin Gaethje comes from winning his last fight on November 6, 2021 against Michael Chandler. His professional record in 26 fights is 23 wins (19 by KO, 1 by submission) and 3 losses.

Charles Oliveira vs Justin Gaethje: Date

This fight in the lightweight division for the UFC 274 between Charles Oliveira (who will defend his UFC Lightweight Championship) and Justin Gaethje will take place this Saturday, May 7 at 10:00 PM (ET).

Charles Oliveira vs Justin Gaethje: Time by State in the US

ET: 10:00 PM
CT: 9:00 PM
MT: 8:00 PM
PT: 7:00 PM

TV channel in the US to watch Charles Oliveira vs Justin Gaethje

The fight between Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje for the UFC Lightweight Championship in what will be the main event of this UFC 274 can be watched in the United States on ESPN+ PPV. The preliminary fights will be broadcast in the US on FuboTV (free trial).

A highly anticipated fight for all MMA fans. The lightweight champion, Charles Oliveira, will defend the title he won on May 31 of this year against Michael Chandler. The Brazilian-born will be a tough opponent to beat for Poirier: he has not known defeat since December 2017, that is, for just over 4 years.

However, it should be noted that Dustin Poirier is a rising star. After his defeat against Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2019, the Lafayette, Louisiana-born 32 years ago chained three victories in a row, the last two highly remembered as they were against one of the most recognized martial artists in UFC history: Connor McGregor.

Charles Oliveira vs Dustin Poirier: fight information

Date: Saturday, December 11
Time: 10:00 PM (ET)
Main event approx: 12:30 AM (ET)
Location: T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, USA

Time by State in the US

ET: 10:00 PM
CT: 9:00 PM
MT: 8:00 PM
PT: 7:00 PM

Charles Oliveira vs Dustin Poirier: Storylines and Head-to-Head

It will be the first time that these two rivals have met in the octagon of the UFC. The fight is interesting not only because of the level of both fighters: it will be a clash of two completely different styles. It should be noted that although both are very complete fighters, capable of performing without problems both in striking and grappling, there is a clear preference on the part of both of them to one of these two.

On Oliveira‘s side, in 40 fights he won 31: 3 by decision, 9 by KO and 19 by submission. It is clear, then, that the Brazilian feels much more comfortable in grappling, since by way of submission he achieved 60% of his victories. On Poirier‘s side, he always looked better at striking. In fact, of his 28 victories, half of them (14) were by KO, the others were by submission (7) and by decision (7).

Then the conditions are ripe for a great fight for the lightweight title in the T-Mobile arena in this UFC 269, which will also have a very attractive preliminary card: Raulian Paiva vs. Sean O’Malley; Kai Kara-France vs. Cody Garbrandt; Geoff Neal vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio and co-featured fight Amanda Nunes defending her Bantamweight title against Julianna Peña.

How to watch or live stream Charles Oliveira vs Dustin Poirier in the US

The fight between Charles Oliveira vs Dustin Poirier will be broadcast in the US on DAZN in the US. Other options: ESPN+ PPV.

Charles Oliveira vs Dustin Poirier: Predictions and Odds

The bookmakers have a favorite for this UFC 269 fight. According to DraftKings, Dustin Porier is the favorite to take the victory with -140 odds, while +120 odds will be for the championCharles Oliveira’s victory.

* Odds via DraftKings