{"id":42674,"date":"2026-02-11T04:06:57","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T09:06:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/02\/11\/charles-oliveira-opens-up-on-key-changes-before-ufc-326-rematch-i-was-just-a-kid-back-then\/"},"modified":"2026-02-11T04:06:57","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T09:06:57","slug":"charles-oliveira-opens-up-on-key-changes-before-ufc-326-rematch-i-was-just-a-kid-back-then","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/02\/11\/charles-oliveira-opens-up-on-key-changes-before-ufc-326-rematch-i-was-just-a-kid-back-then\/","title":{"rendered":"Charles Oliveira Opens Up on Key Changes Before UFC 326 Rematch: \u2018I Was Just a Kid Back Then\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_74 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/02\/11\/charles-oliveira-opens-up-on-key-changes-before-ufc-326-rematch-i-was-just-a-kid-back-then\/#Oliveira_Reflects_on_How_He_Has_Changed_Since_Their_First_Fight\" >Oliveira Reflects on How He Has Changed Since Their First Fight<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/02\/11\/charles-oliveira-opens-up-on-key-changes-before-ufc-326-rematch-i-was-just-a-kid-back-then\/#If_Oliveira_Defeats_Holloway_Hell_Have_Support_from_Arman_Tsarukyan\" >If Oliveira Defeats Holloway, He\u2019ll Have Support from Arman Tsarukyan<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>Since their last encounter, Charles Oliveira has undergone a remarkable evolution as a fighter.<\/p>\n<p>Set for March 7, UFC 326\u2019s headline bout will feature two warriors who truly represent the \u201cBMF\u201d spirit battling for the prestigious title.<\/p>\n<p>Current champion Max Holloway claimed the belt with one of the most memorable knockouts in UFC history against Justin Gaethje at UFC 300.<\/p>\n<p>Conversely, Charles Oliveira holds multiple UFC records and guarantees an exhilarating contest whenever he steps inside the Octagon.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Oliveira_Reflects_on_How_He_Has_Changed_Since_Their_First_Fight\"><\/span>Oliveira Reflects on How He Has Changed Since Their First Fight<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Back in 2015, \u201cDe Bronx\u201d and \u201cBlessed\u201d faced off in the main event of Fight Night, marking both fighters\u2019 first time headlining a UFC card.<\/p>\n<p>Holloway took the first round after Oliveira was hampered by a controversial neck injury.<\/p>\n<p>Following the bout, Oliveira was met with boos and was branded a &#8220;quitter&#8221; by some fans for years afterward.<\/p>\n<p>Since then, Oliveira has dramatically revamped his career and is now celebrated as one of the organization\u2019s most beloved fighters.<\/p>\n<p>In that period, the 36-year-old captured the undisputed lightweight championship and amassed over $1 million in post-fight bonuses.<\/p>\n<p>Ahead of his rematch against the reigning BMF champion, Oliveira shared the key differences he\u2019s noticed since their last clash.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve evolved a lot since our previous fight,\u201d Oliveira shared in a recent video on his YouTube channel.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt that time, I was coming off an injury. Today\u2019s Charles is completely different. I recognize that Holloway has improved and rightfully earned the BMF title, but the Charles now is a new athlete.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBack then, I was mainly a jiu-jitsu fighter. Now, I\u2019m a mixed martial artist in every sense \u2013 a complete athlete. I was a boy then, now I\u2019m a lion among lions, making every fight a totally different challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><br \/>\n<em>Photo by Chris Unger\/Zuffa LLC<\/em><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"If_Oliveira_Defeats_Holloway_Hell_Have_Support_from_Arman_Tsarukyan\"><\/span>If Oliveira Defeats Holloway, He\u2019ll Have Support from Arman Tsarukyan<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>As the fight approaches, fans remain split on who will walk away from Las Vegas with the BMF title.<\/p>\n<p>However, top lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan is backing Oliveira to prevail and become the fourth BMF champion.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>Fan Take:<\/strong> This fight is more than just a title bout\u2014it represents the growth and resilience in MMA, highlighting how fighters can reinvent themselves over time. For fans, Oliveira\u2019s comeback story adds an emotional layer to the matchup, promising a thrilling contest that could redefine the lightweight division\u2019s landscape.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Since their last encounter, Charles Oliveira has undergone a remarkable evolution as a fighter. Set for March 7, UFC 326\u2019s headline bout will feature two warriors who truly represent the \u201cBMF\u201d spirit battling for the prestigious title. Current champion Max Holloway claimed the belt with one of the most memorable knockouts in UFC history against [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":32056,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2443],"tags":[2444],"class_list":{"0":"post-42674","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fighting","8":"tag-fighting"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42674","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42674"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42674\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32056"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42674"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42674"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42674"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}