Charles Oliveira has responded to criticism surrounding his strategy in the BMF title fight against Max Holloway at UFC 326.
On 7 March, the Brazilian veteran secured the victory with a dominant performance that mixed striking combinations with takedowns and prolonged grappling control.
However, the bout sparked debate among fans and fighters who felt it lacked the type of stand-up exchanges traditionally associated with the BMF belt. Some viewers even called for potential rule changes to ensure future BMF fights feature more striking.
'Do Bronx' has now pushed back strongly against those criticisms.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Speaking to Laerte Vianna, Oliveira insisted his performance against Holloway reflected complete mixed martial arts rather than a one-dimensional approach.
The Brazilian star said: "I'll never please anyone. 'Oh, Charles only did jiu-jitsu.' No, I didn't just do jiu-jitsu, I did MMA. I landed the best punches, I had the biggest striking sequences, and I took down and dominated a guy who had never been dominated by any of the big names.
"The guys who are talking, the athletes who are criticizing, are stand-up fighters who just want to exchange blows," he stated.
'Do Bronx' also challenged the idea that the BMF belt should only represent stand-up fighting.
Bo Nickal was among the fighters who criticized the bout, posting on X: "Last night was the first time I ever yelled 'Stand em up' during a UFC fight."
Oliveira appeared to respond to that sentiment while discussing the origins of the BMF title.
"'Oh, BMF was made for the guy who exchanges blows.' No, actually, BMF was made for the guy who talked the most b—— on the internet, who kept criticizing, saying this, saying that, and it reached the guys who were really strikers, it reached Max [Holloway], who is a true striker. But he's not a guy who swears, he's not a guy who sells the fight in a huge way.
"Then you see a guy who's only done wrestling his whole life fighting and saying, 'No, it wasn't a good fight.' You only did wrestling, you didn't throw a single punch, you just grappled, and you're talking that b——."
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