Mauricio Ruffy doesn't believe Charles do Bronx 's performance pleased the UFC management. The 'Blushing Lion' faced Max Holloway in the main event of UFC 326 and, without giving the Hawaiian a chance, used grappling to control all five rounds and win by unanimous decision. The result was undeniable, but, in the 'Nerd's' view, the strategy adopted could end up closing doors in his career.
In an interview with the channel 'Laerte Viana na Área – MMA', Ruffy analyzed the fight and pointed out that Charles adopted an unexpected strategy by sticking to his opponent for practically the entire fight. According to Mauricio, despite the dominant performance, a style heavily focused on grappling can end up hindering bigger opportunities within the UFC, especially in more commercial fights, such as against Conor McGregor , a target of the BMF champion.
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“He ( Charles Do Bronx ) did what nobody imagined, which was to clinch from beginning to end. If you go into the UFC business to clinch and grab someone, you end up losing opportunities. Charles had an incredible fight, but surely neither the UFC will want to see him clinching (McGregor), nor will Conor put himself in that position,” Ruffy pointed out.
Ruffy believes that Charles do Bronx was almost knocked out by Holloway.
Ruffy also disputed some of the public's interpretation of the final moments of the fight. According to him, although some pointed out that Charles landed a good blow on Holloway, the situation would have been different inside the octagon. The Fighting Nerds representative stated that Do Bronx was in danger, emphasizing that the Brazilian suffered two hard blows at the end of the fight and that, in his assessment, if there had been a few more seconds of fighting, the scenario could have been complicated for the new BMF.
“People were saying, ‘Look, Charles flashed Max Holloway .’ My friend, Charles almost got knocked out, you know? If he had five more seconds ahead, he would have been limp after the last punch… He took two flashes at the very end, take a look at how Charles was at the end, brother. He took a flash, let out a right, took another one right after, and that was it,” concluded the representative from Fighting Nerds.
Max Holloway cracked Charles Oliveira at the bell! 10 more seconds we could have seen a different result 🏆 pic.twitter.com/Xpcp7USl0J
— MMA UNCENSORED (@MMAUNCENSORED1) March 8, 2026
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