The BMF title debate is back, and Dan Hooker is adding fuel to the fire. The lightweight contender has taken aim at Charles Oliveira over his grappling-heavy championship fight against Max Holloway at UFC 326.
Rather than engaging in the wild striking exchanges fans have come to associate with the belt, Oliveira leaned heavily on his grappling to dominate the fight. The Brazilian landed five takedowns and kept Holloway on the ground for nearly 21 minutes.
However, the one-sided nature of the grappling battle left some fans questioning whether the fight lived up to the BMF title’s reputation for all-out action.
Many believe the belt should represent fighters willing to stand in the pocket and trade heavy shots rather than rely on a grappling-heavy approach. Now, Hooker has also accused Oliveira of taking away what made the title special.
Dan Hooker Insists the BMF Title Isn’t Meant for Nice Guys Like Charles Oliveira and Max Holloway
Speaking to Submission Radio in a recent interview, Hooker agreed that Oliveira’s performance at UFC 326 was lackluster. He said, “It was cool for a bit, and then he kind of made it not cool. I think he killed it.”
The symbolic title was introduced in 2019, with Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal facing off in a back-and-forth slugfest at UFC 244. The action-packed nature of that fight carried over into subsequent BMF title bouts, including Justin Gaethje’s knockout of Dustin Poirier at UFC 291 and Holloway’s memorable finish at UFC 300.
Those performances have only raised expectations for what a BMF fight should look like. Building on those examples, Hooker believes the title has lost some of its original identity.
He added, “You know where they f*cked it up? They should have kept it like Nate Diaz, Masvidal kind of shit. They completely fcked it when they were like – They had badass motherf*ckers fighting for it like that, but then it should be the guys that want to throw down and just talk shit as well.”
He continued, “That was kind of like me, Bobby Green, could lose 20 times and he’s still a BMF contender. Then they had Max do it, and he’s like the nicest guy in the f*cking world.”
Hooker believes BMF title fights should feature the sport’s bad boys, with plenty of trash talk and action leading up to the matchup.
He further explained, “Talk shit. Say you’re going to knock the other guy’s head off; that was like our belt. That was the guys whose careers are a f*cking mess. ‘Gamebred’ was hot and cold for a minute; Nate Diaz, all our records are a f*cking mess. It’s going to be a lot harder for us to get our hands on the nice, shiny, clean one. That’s what I’m saying, they let too many nice guys have a crack.”
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For the uninitiated, Oliveira has already pushed back against this criticism on multiple occasions. The Brazilian is now set to defend his BMF title against Diego Lopes at UFC 335 on December 12.
However, Hooker has not given up on his own BMF ambitions. With a fight against Brian Ortega scheduled for UFC Qatar on November 21, the New Zealander could find himself in the title conversation if Lopes gets the job done against Oliveira at the T-Mobile Arena later this year.
Kshitiz Kumar Singh is a UFC Writer at NY Fights with over three years of experience in sports journalism and content creation. Known for his sharp storytelling and passion for combat sports, he has written in-depth features on stars like Brock Lesnar, Randy Couture, and Ilia Topuria. Before joining NY Fights, Kshitiz worked as a UFC Editor at EssentiallySports while currently serving as a WWE Editor at FirstSportz. His admiration for legends like Georges St-Pierre continues to inspire his detailed and engaging MMA coverage. Whether he’s covering the Octagon or the squared circle, Kshitiz is committed to delivering accurate, high-quality content. Outside the world of sports, he’s a dedicated cinephile, often found practicing monologues from his favorite Al Pacino films, combining his love for cinema with storytelling.
