The BMF title holds a lot of significance to the UFC, as any bout with this championship on the line guarantees a wild war.
The belt holder is represented as a fighter who competes in the most entertaining style, prioritising offence over defence and will continue to display a warrior’s spirit until the final horn.
Max Holloway is set to defend the title this weekend in the main event of UFC 326 against Charles Oliveira, a long-awaited rematch that fans are eagerly anticipating.
Here is every BMF title fight that has so far occurred in the Octagon, as a fan-favourite moment is always produced in each battle.
Jorge Masvidal vs Nate Diaz
In 2019, the inaugural BMF title was introduced and placed on the line at UFC 244 in Madison Square Garden, headlined by Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz.
In his previous fight at UFC 241, during his post-fight interview, Diaz called out Masvidal to battle it out for the symbolic title after ‘Gamebred’ earned a record-breaking five-second knockout win over Ben Askren at UFC 239.
The contest was not disappointing to watch as both men exchanged strikes with the Californian landing more strikes, but the Miami-born fighter was landing more significant strikes as he managed to knock down Diaz twice within three rounds.
After the third round, the Stockton-born mixed martial artist suffered a deep cut above his right eye as the doctor came to check to see if the fight could still continue, but by his decision, it was too risky to resume the incredible battle.
Masvidal became the first BMF Champion, winning by third-round TKO (Doctor Stoppage), in what was a disaster ending to such an exciting welterweight clash.
Dustin Poirier vs Justin Gaethje
Masvidal held on to the BMF title until April 2023, when he announced his retirement from MMA after losing to Gilbert Burns at UFC 287. He vacated the championship.
At UFC 291, the belt was at stake and was moved down to lightweight for a thrilling war between Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje in Salt Lake City.
Both men had faced each other five years prior in an entertaining four-round scrap, which ended with ‘The Diamond’ winning by TKO.
Once again, there would be another stoppage in the scheduled five-round bout. Gaethje shocked the Utah crowd with a head kick knockout in the second round to claim the BMF belt.
It seemed fitting to many in the MMA community that ‘The Highlight’ won the title, given his history of knockouts and exciting battles.
Justin Gaethje vs Max Holloway
UFC 300 was billed as the organisation’s biggest event in its history, and so a fan-favourite matchup had to take place, so a BMF title contest was placed on the main card between Gaethje and former UFC Featherweight Champion Holloway.
It was the first time a BMF fight was not headlining an event, as two world title bouts were added to the historically memorable fight night.
The action the Las Vegas fans witnessed was breathtaking, as both men traded punches throughout five rounds, including the Hawaiian mixed martial artist breaking the champion’s nose at the end of round one.
In the last 10 seconds of the battle, Holloway pointed to the middle of the Octagon, and both men exchanged multiple strikes until the challenger landed a wicked right hand, which knocked Gaethje out cold in the last second of the fight.
It was a moment which fans respected from both sides as Gaethje showcased that he would live by the sword and die by the sword, while Holloway produced what many fans believe to be the greatest knockout in Combat Sports history.
Max Holloway vs Dustin Poirier
The most recent BMF title clash to take place occurred at UFC 318, where Holloway defended the belt in Poirier’s retirement fight in New Orleans at UFC 318.
Both men had lost their world title bouts in their most recent contests as the Louisiana-born fighter was submitted by Islam Makhachev at UFC 302, and Holloway was knocked out by Ilia Topuria at UFC 308.
The former Interim Lightweight Champion had already faced the current BMF Champion twice, stopping him on his UFC debut by submission before later on defeating him by unanimous decision at UFC 236.
With Poirier fighting in his home state, the crowd were one-sided, and it showed when both men squared off for a third time in the Octagon, especially when ‘Blessed’ stunned ‘The Diamond’ in rounds one and two, before the 37-year-old landed a knockdown at the end of the second round.
It was the first time a BMF title clash went to the judges’ scorecards as Holloway won by unanimous decision to remain as the champion, becoming the first fighter to successfully defend the championship.