UFC 326 Preview

The UFC returns to Las Vegas, the fighting capital of the world, this Saturday for UFC 326. It’s the first numbered card in over a month, and the main event is sure to deliver.

While there isn’t an actual championship on the line, Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira will step into the octagon for the first time in over a decade, where Holloway will be defending his BMF championship.

Before we get there, however, there’s a solid undercard with multiple big fights across the UFC. Starting with the featured prelim, former UFC champion Cody Garbrandt will take on Xiao Long.

Garbrandt’s greatest days are behind him; however, the wheels have continued to roll for the 34-year-old.

Xiao Long is an exciting prospect; however, he’s had a tough go in the UFC since he entered in 2024.

This fight could go either way as both fighters are desperate for a win, but I like the veteran Garbrandt in this one.

The main card will kick off with a battle of the Brazilians, as Gregory Rodrigues will square off against Brunno Ferreira.

Both men are ranked inside the top-15 in the middleweight division and are looking to boost their resumes with a win this weekend.

Rodrigues is coming off an impressive win over a touted prospect, Roman Kopylov. Ferreira, too, is coming off a win over former title contender Marvin Vettori.

This is a stylistic dream for UFC fans as both fighters are elite-level strikers, and I expect a striking masterclass from both men.

I’ll take the veteran Rodrigues over the surging Ferreira, stopping his win streak at three fights.

Moving on, we’ve got another fun one between two guys looking for a finish. Drew Dober will take on Michael Johnson, who’s quietly won three fights in a row, with the most recent one coming over Daniel Zellhuber.

This fight will end in a finish. Dober has a finish rate of 75% in his UFC career, and Johnson’s is just below 50%.

Johnson will get the better of Dober in this fight and continue his winning ways. The featured fight on the main card is one between the always exciting Rob Font and the rising star, Raul Rosas Jr, who’s won his last four fights after losing the first of his career in 2023.

I don’t think Font will be able to defend the elite ground game of Rosas Jr, allowing for the first top-15 win for the 21-year-old.

Moving on to the co-main event, Caio Borralho will be taking on Reinier De Ridder. Both men had their hype put on pause after losses in their last fights.

Borralho, who was undefeated in the UFC, lost to Nassourdine Imavov in September. De Ridder, who is the only man to defeat Bo Nickal in his MMA career, was knocked out by Brendan Allen in his last fight.

This is a really interesting fight because both guys are only a couple of wins away from a title shot, but I’m going to take Borralho in this fight. His takedown defense is what will win him this fight.

If Borralho can keep the fight on the feet, I think he’ll beat De Ridder and put himself one step closer to a title opportunity.

Now, the main event. A fight decades in the making. The last time these two squared off, Oliveira hurt himself, and the fight ended abruptly. He was labeled as a quitter, but he’s turned his career around and has a chance for revenge this Saturday.

I think he gets that revenge. Holloway hasn’t dealt with somebody with the level of Jiu-Jitsu that Oliveira has, and I think Charles will just be too much for him.

Oliveira wins, becomes the BMF champion, and truly cements himself as one of the greatest lightweights of all time.

Sawyer Bogaty is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email him at sgb5468@psu.edu.