Come Sunday, Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira reunite to finally settle what has lingered since they first headlined a Fight Night in Saskatchewan over 10 years ago. Will the Hawaiian stay “Blessed” as he steps in to defend his BMF title, or will Oliveira, who bounced back from a string of setbacks with a statement win over Mateusz Gamrot this past October, flip the script and spoil Holloway’s rumored retirement bout? With experts weighing in on the rematch at UFC 326, the matchup has sparked several possible scenarios. UFC double champ Henry Cejudo believes technical flaws will dictate the outcome of the main event at the T-Mobile Arena.

“I think Max, I think Max is just—he’s too fundamentally solid, and sometimes I feel like Charles just makes too many mistakes,” Cejudo said during an interview with podcaster Mike Bohn. “He’s too—he’s too ‘let’s fight, bring it on’ point down. I’m going—I think Max tactically is just a little wittier than that.

“So, he just keeps it on his feet. There’s the one-two move, laterally like this. This is, you know, where the straightforward opponent in Oliveira just comes forward and likes to clinch, but I think if he’s able to take it there, I think Charles is able to take him down. His takedowns are actually underrated; he has a beautiful double leg.”

A loss, however, seems unlikely to dent the legacy of either Holloway or Oliveira, Cejudo pointed out. To him, it’s a high-profile matchup between two already established stars. Both Holloway and Oliveira have done enough in their careers to secure their legacies. Cejudo didn’t stop there.

“If somebody on that card comes out unscathed, you got March, April, May, June—they can turn around and fight at the White House,” the UFC legend speculated. “Who wouldn’t want to see Max Holloway or Charles Oliveira fight at the White House? I guarantee those guys are down.”

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Cejudo is not alone in backing Max Holloway.

Alexander Volkanovski’s prediction aligns with Henry Cejudo on Max Holloway getting the edge

Featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski also believes Holloway’s relentless pace may break Charles Oliveira down.

According to him, the BMF titlist not only forces opponents to tire but is also elite at capitalizing once fatigue sets in. He predicts a late TKO, likely in the third or fourth round, driven by volume rather than a single punch.

While Volkanovski acknowledged Oliveira’s early danger, he doubted whether the Brazilian could maintain that intensity for five full rounds. In his view, the fight likely ends in a Holloway finish rather than a decision. The longer the fight goes, the more it favors Max Holloway.

Like Cejudo, the Australian champion remains confident about the winner’s title prospects. Volkanovski strongly believes Holloway deserves a shot at the belt with a win.

“After this fight, if he wins—he beats Charles Oliveira—how’s he not fighting for the title? I believe he should have already fought for the title, to be quite honest,” Volkanovski said on his YouTube channel. “You know, obviously he lost, but that was at featherweight against the champ. Then there’s an interim. You would think that he would have been a no-brainer if the guy in the interim was Gaethje, even though he beat Gaethje. I think that should have been Max, to be honest. But 100 percent, I think he fights for a belt.”

A lot has changed since Holloway and Oliveira first fought a decade ago. The two veterans, who have carried divisions and headlined countless cards, now meet at a pivotal point in their careers. A win would strengthen their standing and position them for another high-stakes matchup, potentially one more run at championship gold, as Cejudo suggested.