Dricus du Plessis Questions BMF Belt's Spirit After Oliveira's Dominant Win Over Holloway

Former UFC champion Dricus du Plessis has weighed in on the concept of the "Baddest Motherf**ker" (BMF) belt, offering criticism regarding a recent title bout. The UFC first unveiled the BMF belt in November 2019 at UFC 244, featuring Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal in its inaugural contest. Masvidal secured the symbolic title after the fight was stopped by a doctor due to a cut suffered by Diaz in the third round.

Subsequently, the BMF belt found its way to Justin Gaethje, who claimed it by knocking out Dustin Poirier at UFC 291. Gaethje was then scheduled to defend this title against former featherweight champion Max Holloway at UFC 300. That highly anticipated fight concluded with a spectacular knockout victory for the Hawaiian. Holloway would later become the first fighter to successfully defend the BMF title.

Recently, in the main event of UFC 326, Holloway squared off against former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira in an attempt to defend the belt for a second time. Oliveira asserted his dominance over Holloway with a series of takedowns and superior grappling, ultimately earning a unanimous decision victory. However, some observers, including former middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis, expressed that Oliveira's tactical approach to the fight did not fully align with the essence of what the BMF belt is supposed to represent.

Du Plessis commented, "Charles Oliveira did something to Max that we've never seen before. Charles's wrestling and grappling are world-class, even among elite athletes."

"I think, from a technical standpoint, he definitely won that fight," Du Plessis stated. "Charles Oliveira completely shut him down. But was it truly a BMF title fight? I don't think so. That's just not what the BMF represents."

"Charles Oliveira did an incredible job," Du Plessis continued. "I'm not criticizing him at all. I'm simply stating that what this belt symbolizes wasn't truly reflected in that fight. He did what he needed to do to win, but it somewhat diminishes the essence of the BMF title."