“Hey Hunter [Campbell], Charles Oliveira versus Max Holloway, BMF. Let’s make that happen,” Charles Oliveira called out from the octagon after his win against Mateusz Gamrot in UFC Rio. Max Holloway returned that fervor, accepting the challenge like it’s nothing despite his hand injury. Now, it looks like the anticipated clash will finally steal the spotlight at UFC 324.

A decade since their last encounter, the dust has still not settled on their rivalry. Hence, both fighters are eagerly awaiting an opportunity to make matters even. While not officially confirmed, a leaked BMF title fight has brought the two back into the narrative.

Deleted post by UFC Brazil leaks UFC 324 headliner

Dana White went live on Instagram earlier this week to announce the UFC 324 card for January 24 in Las Vegas. That, however, failed to rouse positive fan interest, with Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett‘s interim lightweight title fight headlining the event. Instead, UFC Brazil’s official X page has sent the internet ablaze, leaking a potential Holloway vs Oliveira bout for the bragging-rights title.

Capturing a snap of UFC Brasil’s limited post on X, Championship Rounds tweeted: “The official UFC Brazil page posted then deleted a fight announcement for Max Holloway vs Charles Oliveira for the BMF title at #UFC324 in January 👀🤔.”

The accidental announcement featured pictures of Holloway and Oliveira, tagged “#UFC324”. Whether this leak was a slip-up or intentional to create clout is debatable. However, if this potential match-up is real, there’s no measure of the excitement this would bring. In fact, fans are already hyped over this duo, with one user suggesting, “Make this the main event and make Paddy vs Gaethje a three-rounder no interim belt.”

Apparently, the MMA fandom is reeling over this fierce duo, which once stepped inside the cage together back in 2015. An esophagus injury ended the bout, and Holloway took the win. But neither party was given the opportunity to make things right. However, after bouncing back from his loss against Ilia Topuria with a win against Gamrot, Oliveira not only returned to the winner’s circle but also reignited the rivalry, calling Holloway out.

Max Holloway wasn’t one to back down, replying, “I’m interested. Why wouldn’t I be? We’ve been talking about this fight. Me and I have a history. He’s blaming it on some type of injury. I guess we get to figure it out now.” But he wanted to do it on his terms, which included noting Las Vegas as the ideal venue. UFC 324 also just so happens to be in Las Vegas, which feels too intentional to be a coincidence.

Now the potential rematch looks to be the perfect grounds for Max Holloway to question the UFC’s ranking system.

Max Holloway slams the UFC ranking system

The BMF champion has beaten some of the greatest in UFC, including jiu-jitsu black belt Charles Oliveira. Despite that, Oliveira’s last win against a No. 10-ranked Gamrot pushed him in the leaderboard, surpassing even Holloway. This didn’t quite sit well with the now No. 3 Holloway, who directly questioned how the UFC rankings work.

“I was ahead of him in the rankings for some time. And then he fought someone who was ranked like 10, and then all of a sudden, he magically moved above me without me fighting. So I don’t know how the UFC rankings work,” Holloway told KoreanZombie MMA.

But Holloway isn’t one to count on blessings. Relying on his exceptional striking and technical precision, he wants to take the verdict to the cage. In the same video, Holloway reiterated Oliveira’s challenge back to him. “There’s a BMF title on the line. I mean, a lot of people like to consider him one of the BMFs in the division, and that’d be fun, I think,” he shared.

That possibility feels truer than ever, with UFC Brasil’s leaked post turning the entire fandom on its heels over the duology. If this doesn’t happen, it could leave an irremediable scar on UFC’s image. Still, there are no assurances that this BMF title fight will actually take place in Las Vegas next year. Do you think we will see a Holloway vs Oliveira duology?