Max Holloway takes blame for Charles Oliveira BMF letdown

Max Holloway says the blame for his BMF title flop belongs on him, not Charles Oliveira.

Holloway dropped the Baddest Motherf--ker strap to Oliveira at UFC 326 in March, trapped on the mat for five largely uneventful rounds as "Do Bronx" controlled position and rode out a decision win. The performance drew heat from fans expecting a brawl befitting the belt's lineage, but Holloway told ESPN that Oliveira simply did what he needed to secure the victory.

Holloway defends Oliveira's strategy, blames himself

"You can't be mad at Charles because he went out there and just did what he thought he should do to win," Holloway said, per the interview. "That doesn't line up with the belt, but it's still a fight. So at the end of the day, be mad at me because I should have stopped him, but I didn't."

The Hawaiian added that his own style has kept the UFC calling despite setbacks. "It's not even [about] winning in the sport," he said. "Winning is great, winning is awesome, but how many times do we see guys winning, and they don't get certain opportunities? You gotta win in the sport, but you gotta win excitingly. We are in the entertainment business."

Holloway faces Conor McGregor in a rematch at UFC 329 this week, one of the year's biggest fights and a testament to the Hawaiian's drawing power even coming off the loss.

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• MMA Mania — Max Holloway reacts to BMF flop with Charles Oliveira: ‘Be mad at me, I should have stopped him’