Brazilian jiu-jitsu legend Pedro Sauer, a black belt under the iconic Rickson Gracie, awarded Max Holloway his BJJ black belt following the Hawaiian’s performance at UFC 326.
The promotion raised eyebrows given the fact that Holloway mainly displayed a respectable defense level.
Holloway entered UFC 326 as the reigning BMF titleholder, putting his belt on the line against Charles “Do Bronx” Oliveira in a grappling heavy five round main event. Oliveira spent much of the evening attempting to end the night early. He locked in multiple submission attempts from the back, a neck crank and several other submission threats, yet Holloway defended them all.
Oliveira ultimately earned the BMF belt via unanimous decision, with all three judges scoring the contest 50-45 in his favor. The crowd was not pleased at how the BMF event turned out.
The Brazilian, now 37-11, dominated the grappling exchanges from the opening bell, landing takedowns taking Holloway‘s back repeatedly and controlling the pace throughout. Still Holloway‘s resilience on the mat left a clear impression on everyone watching.
That impression was enough for Sauer. In a post shared to social media showing the instructor alongside Holloway and his MMA coach, Sauer wrote:
“Our new black belt, after demonstrating an incredible defense at UFC.”
Holloway‘s path to that recognition has been years in the making. Long before UFC 326 the 34 year old from Waianae Hawaii had been quietly deepening his grappling foundation. Ahead of his BMF title win at UFC 300 footage surfaced of Holloway training in the gi working through positional drills and sparring sessions designed to sharpen his ground game. While some observers questioned the value of gi training for an MMA athlete Holloway expressed confidence that the work was translating, noting the added strength he was bringing at 155 lbs (70.3 kg).
His last submission finish came back in 2015 when he tapped out Cub Swanson. In the years since Holloway built one of the most celebrated careers in featherweight history, winning the UFC championship in 2016 defending it multiple times and eventually expanding his legacy at lightweight with BMF title victories.
Now with a BJJ black belt from the Rickson Gracie lineage to his name Holloway adds another chapter to a career that has never followed a predictable path.
9 years ago, Max Holloway submitted Cub Swanson in the 3rd round at UFC on Fox 15 pic.twitter.com/vfQvQ6TOME
— Josh (@JUchiha909) April 18, 2024
