A week before a main event, most fighters are deep into MMA film study. Cutting weight, limiting distractions, and staying locked in. But Max Holloway? This man is built different, as he’s busy yelling about “eight bands” on a gambling win.

The BMF champion just pocketed $8,000 on Stake and looked like he’d won another fight already. However, the timing is what makes it so wild. This was not months out from camp. This was just days before heading into UFC 326 to defend the BMF belt against a man such as Charles Oliveira.

Max Holloway looks too confident walking into the Charles Oliveira fight

“What a win, bro!” Max Holloway screamed into the mic as he won 8k. “Eight bands, bro! Eight bands, bro!”

If the gambling tape proves anything, it’s that ‘Blessed’ is going into this one relaxed. Some would argue that this is too relaxed. Because Charles Oliveira isn’t your average opponent. He is the most successful submission artist in UFC history, with 17 tapouts inside the Octagon.

Many fans think of it as striker versus grappler. Keep it standing or get strangled. Simple. However, Max Holloway rejects that narrative entirely.

“I find it funny, people say that this is a striker vs. grappler matchup, but this is MMA,” he told Stake. “Charles is not a straight jiu-jitsu guy; he uses his strikes to set up his grappling.

And when people suggest that hitting the mat equals danger or simply the end of the fight, ‘Blessed’ shrugs.

“I am very confident in my takedown defense but also my ground game,” he added. “I’ve been training in jiu-jitsu for years; I love it.

I have way more jiu-jitsu sessions now than any other aspect, and I actually like them the most.”

That is not a man who intends to panic and wrestle away from ‘Do Bronx,’ but a man willing to meet him there. So yeah, the $8K might just be pocket change compared to fight night pay. But the vibe is what matters right now. Max Holloway isn’t behaving like he’s worried about being submitted.

Instead, he’s acting as if he expects to collect again, but this time it won’t be $8k from Stake but a bonus straight from the pocket of Dana White. In fact, he is already thinking about his next fight once he is done facing the Brazilian. So, who will it be next for ‘Blessed’? Well, it’s none other than Conor McGregor.

The BMF champion might go for another high-stakes rematch against ‘The Notorious’

The confidence doesn’t end with Charles Oliveira. Max Holloway understands what a major win at UFC 326 may mean, and one familiar name looms in the background: Conor McGregor. It’s not a full-fledged callout yet, but it’s certainly not off the table.

“Yeah, we’ll see what happens, you know?” Holloway told ESPN.

According to ‘Blessed,’ he will go all-in about his future bout with Conor McGregor once he is done with Charles Oliveira, as fighters often forget about the fight in hand when planning about what comes after that instead. Still, he didn’t pretend the possibilities aren’t there.

“I have the BMF title, and the last time I checked, the BMF title was at 170 lbs before,” he added. “So we’ll see what happens. Imagine a UFC 300 moment all over again.

Holy s—, the world is ours, so that’s what I’m gonna go out for.”

It’s subtle, but it’s there. If he gets past ‘Do Bronx,’ a rematch with the former UFC double champion suddenly doesn’t sound so crazy, especially when there’s unfinished business after he lost to ‘The Notorious’ in 2013 at the beginning of both of their UFC careers.