Charles do Bronx had a brief conversation before going all-in at UFC 326. The Brazilian dominated Max Holloway in the main event and won the 'BMF' belt, but not before giving his rival a chance for one last exchange of blows in the final seconds of the fight.
Since UFC 300 , when Max Holloway knocked out Justin Gaethje , the Hawaiian has immortalized the gesture of pointing to the center of the octagon in the final moments of the fight to challenge his opponent to a stand-up exchange. Against Charles Oliveira , however, the roles were reversed, and it was the Brazilian who repeated the provocation in the final moments of the fight.
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In an interview with UFC News, Charles explained that he was grappling with his opponent when he heard Holloway say something. Interpreting that his opponent was referring to the final seconds of the fight, the Brazilian decided to accept the implicit invitation and challenged the Hawaiian to exchange blows in the center of the octagon until the end of the fight.
“Man, actually, I was stuck there, glued to the spot, and then I heard something, Max saying something. And I thought it was something about us being stuck together, and I understood: 'come on, ten seconds'. I said: 'let's go, let's make it happen',” said Charles from the Bronx.
Pointing to the ground is Max Holloway's trademark in the UFC.
Max Holloway won the BMF belt at UFC 300. Photo: Instagram / UFC
Although he first made the gesture in 2016 when he defeated Ricardo Lamas, Max Holloway immortalized the act of pointing to the ground at UFC 300 in 2024. On that occasion, the Hawaiian was facing Justin Gaethje and, after dominating his rival for five rounds, he called him to the center of the octagon in the last 10 seconds of the fight, ending the duel with a knockout.
MAX HOLLOWAY HAS JUST PUT JUSTIN GAETHJE OUTCOLD
HOLY SHITTTT #UFC300 pic.twitter.com/i9aWXIYgvf
— bradley (@cactusbr4d) April 14, 2024
Holloway repeated the feat at UFC 319 against Dustin Poirier . However, after landing a powerful sequence of strikes, 'The Diamond' opted to clinch, avoiding the greater risk of being knocked out in the final moments of the fight.
Holloway called for the center and Poirier farted lol
— José Louis (@concatenarsim) July 20, 2025
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Read More about: Charles of the Bronx, Max Holloway, UFC 326
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