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Max Holloway frustrated with ‘ridiculous’ Paramount addition to UFC 326 fight week
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- Max Holloway frustrated with ‘ridiculous’ Paramount addition to UFC 326 fight week
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Max Holloway has made it clear he's not impressed with the way Paramount is presenting things.
This weekend's card in Las Vegas will be the third UFC numbered event since the start of the Paramount era, and Holloway finds himself in the main event once again.
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After successfully defending the BMF belt, Holloway will need to get past Charles Oliveira if he wants to keep hold of it. It won't be an easy task, but fight week is well underway and UFC 326 is just around the corner.
In a segment filmed by BT Sport on YouTube, a clip played that showed part of his introductions before UFC 304, complete with flashy graphics and effects put together by Paramount's production team. He didn't look thrilled about having to watch it.
The headliners have had several obligations leading up to the fight, including one that came directly from Paramount itself.
Max Holloway calls out Paramount's UFC face-off changes
Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC
Holloway isn't a fan of one change introduced by the new broadcast partner. The UFC moved to Paramount in 2026 after agreeing to a $7.7 billion deal, replacing their previous contract with ESPN.
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The agreement kicked in at the start of this year, and fans have been paying close attention to what's changed since the move to the new platform.
While most things have stayed largely the same, one noticeable addition has been a new style of face-off during fight week. This meant Oliveira and Holloway squared off earlier than usual, something Holloway wasn't particularly happy about.
Speaking at his UFC 326 media day, Holloway didn't hide how he felt about adding another face-off into an already packed schedule.
"We gotta do that face-off, that Paramount face-off with each other now, which is absolutely ridiculous," Holloway said.
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He continued: "I don't know why I wanna be facing off with this guy three or four times before the actual fight."
UFC struggles to find its footing early in the Paramount Era
The early months of 2026 haven't gone smoothly for the UFC under Paramount.
This Saturday's card will be the third and final numbered event of Q1, and so far, just one undisputed title fight has taken place this year.
Even that was controversial, with the rematch between Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes drawing heavy criticism back in February.
With pay-per-view now a thing of the past, there are real concerns about whether the UFC will continue to stack cards. UFC 326 hasn't done much to ease those worries.
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Beyond Holloway vs Oliveira, there isn't much else standing out on this weekend's card. It's another sign of a trend that started even before streaming took over — quality cards have become harder to find.
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