Max Holloway may have lost one belt at UFC 326, but he gained another in the aftermath of the fight.
Holloway (27-9 MMA, 23-9 UFC) saw his reign as BMF champion come to an end Saturday when he suffered a lopsided unanimous decision loss to Charles Oliveira (37-11 MMA, 25-11 UFC) in the main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
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It was a tough night for “Blessed.” He was taken down five times, controlled for more than 20 minutes and was forced to fend off four submission attempts. He made it to the final bell without being finished, though, and in the eyes of his team, that was a moral victory of sorts.
In fact, for his defensive efforts, Holloway’s longtime jiu-jitsu coach, Pedro Sauer, awarded the Hawaiian with his black belt in the hours after UFC 326 concluded (via Instagram):
Holloway, 34, said at UFC 326 media day that he was meant to test for his jiu-jitsu black belt in 2025, but an injury delayed his exam. He noted his coach was notoriously stingy with handing out black belts, but apparently fending off attacks from the most decorates submission artist in UFC history was enough to to promote Holloway.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Max Holloway awarded jiu-jitsu black belt after UFC 326 loss
