Max Holloway Shares Three-Word Reaction to Charles Oliveira’s Call-Out for the BMF Belt

Max Holloway is staying true to his BMF champion persona. After being called out by former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira to a rematch with the BMF title on the line, Holloway has given him a date and asked if it worked for him.

“International Fight Week?”

It was initially believed that Oliveira wanted to fight for Islam Makhachev’s lightweight title. But since the champion probably only wants to defend the 155 lbs title again towards the end of the year, Oliveira doesn’t want to wait.

“We’ll have to see when [Islam] will want to come back. If he only wants to fight in October, I definitely want to fight before that, so why not challenge Max Holloway for the BMF belt?”

For Oliveira, this potential showdown with Holloway is about more than just staying active. The pair have crossed paths before, but their 2015 bout ended abruptly when Oliveira suffered an unfortunate injury early in the first round. That left fans and fighters alike wondering what could’ve been.

Now, Oliveira sees this as a chance to settle unfinished business. “I think we deserve to make this fight happen”, he told reporters.

International Fight Week is one of the UFC’s marquee events, typically held in early July. A bout between Oliveira and Holloway would certainly add star power to the card, especially with the BMF belt in play—a title that guarantees fireworks in the cage.

But making the fight could also prove to be a logistical nightmare and a real ‘Sophie’s Choice’ moment for Oliveira himself.

Who does Oliveira pick?

At this point, even with both fighters agreeing to it, this fight is still probable at best. Oliveira, fresh off his win against Michael Chandler at UFC 310 only wants to fight Holloway since he believes Islam might take some time off for Ramadan.

So now, it’s all about timing. Will Makhachev return sooner than expected, forcing Oliveira to wait for his title shot? He certainly could. Islam took no damage during his title defense against Renato Moicano at UFC 311, so he might just turn around and ask for another fight before Ramadan.

If that is the case, Oliveira cannot afford to be in a BMF fight with Holloway. The BMF fights are notorious for putting fighters out of the octagon for long, even if they win. Oliveira would not want to risk that, especially with the likes of Ilia Topuria already circling the title picture at 155 lbs.

Earlier this week, he made an appearance at UFC 311. After Islam’s title fight, the two fighters found themselves in an intriguing moment, standing side by side while being interviewed by different reporters. The tension in the air was palpable, but Oliveira stayed respectful and measured.

“The whole world wants to see this fight right here. But honestly, I’m the most respectful guy in the world, I don’t want to take anyone’s shine today. He won today, made history, but I’m sure we’ll meet again.”

So who is Oliveira going to pick? Let us know in the comments.