BMF Title History: Every Fight, Every Stat, Every Time It Changed Hands
Image credit: UFC.com
The BMF belt was born as a callout and became a headliner. Nate Diaz coined it at UFC 241 in August 2019, after beating Anthony Pettis: he wanted Jorge Masvidal next for what he called the BMF belt. Dana White ran with it and commissioned a physical belt reportedly worth $50,000.
Six BMF fights have happened since. Four men have held the title. Here is every one.
The origin: UFC 244 — Masvidal vs. Diaz (Nov 2, 2019)
- Event: UFC 244, Madison Square Garden
- Result: Jorge Masvidal def. Nate Diaz via TKO (doctor stoppage), Round 3
- The story: Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson wrapped the new belt around Masvidal's waist after the cageside doctor stopped the fight. Masvidal had cut Diaz badly over the eye, and the official call came between rounds.
Masvidal never defended it. He lost his next four fights and retired in April 2023 after a loss to Gilbert Burns. The belt went dormant for nearly four years.
UFC 291 — Gaethje vs. Poirier 2 (Jul 29, 2023)
- Event: UFC 291, Delta Center, Salt Lake City
- Result: Justin Gaethje def. Dustin Poirier via KO (head kick), Round 2
- The story: A rematch of their 2018 Fight of the Year classic. Gaethje ended it with one of the cleanest head kicks of the modern era, sending Poirier crashing to the canvas. Masvidal was on hand to wrap the belt around Gaethje's waist — a literal passing of the torch.
The UFC had revived the belt partly because it needed a title fight to headline the pay-per-view. Both men were undeniable candidates.
UFC 300 — Gaethje vs. Holloway (Apr 13, 2024)
- Event: UFC 300, T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas
- Result: Max Holloway def. Justin Gaethje via KO, Round 5 (1 second remaining)
- The story: Holloway pieced up Gaethje for almost the entire fight. Then, with the 10-second clapper sounding, he pointed to the center of the octagon. Gaethje met him there, and Holloway landed a right hand that crumbled him with one second left on the clock — one of the most replayed knockouts in UFC history.
Gaethje's reign ended in his first defense. The belt changed hands with one second to spare.
UFC 318 — Holloway vs. Poirier 3 (Jul 19, 2025)
- Event: UFC 318, Smoothie King Center, New Orleans
- Result: Max Holloway def. Dustin Poirier via unanimous decision (48-47, 49-46, 49-46)
- Significant strikes: Holloway 198, Poirier 109
- Knockdowns: 1 each
- The story: Poirier's retirement fight, in front of his home Louisiana crowd. Holloway dropped him in round one; Poirier returned the favor in round two. Holloway pulled away over the final three rounds, and the two pointed to the ground and swung in the closing seconds just as Holloway had at UFC 300.
This was the first successful BMF title defense in the belt's history — and the first BMF fight to go the full five rounds. Poirier retired with a 30-10 (1 NC) record.
UFC 326 — Oliveira vs. Holloway (Mar 7, 2026)
- Event: UFC 326, T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas
- Result: Charles Oliveira def. Max Holloway via unanimous decision, 5 rounds
- The story: Oliveira took the belt off Holloway with takedowns and grappling, neutralizing the Hawaiian's striking over five rounds. Holloway's second attempted defense fell short, and the belt changed hands for the fourth time — all four times by stoppage or decision, never by anything else.
UFC 335 — Oliveira vs. Lopes (Dec 12, 2026)
Charles Oliveira (37-11, 1 NC) makes his first defense against Diego Lopes (28-8) in the UFC 335 main event at the T-Mobile Arena.
Lopes is moving up from featherweight, where he twice fought Alexander Volkanovski for the title. A win would make him the fifth BMF holder — and the first to take the belt from a fellow Brazilian. The Alex Pereira vs. Sergei Pavlovich heavyweight bout serves as the co-main event.
The BMF belt was supposed to be a one-off. Seven years later, it is headlining one of the biggest cards of 2026.
Byline: OctagonStats Editorial Team
Sources
- ESPN — "The untold origin story of the BMF title, told by the man who created it" — https://www.espn.ph/mma/story/_/id/48090414/the-untold-origin-story-bmf-title-told-man-created-it
- Heavy.com — "BMF Title on the Line at UFC 335 in Las Vegas" — https://heavy.com/sports/ufc/bmf-title-ufc-335-las-vegas/
- Combat Sports UK — "UFC BMF title history: every champion from Jorge Masvidal to Charles Oliveira" — https://combatsportsuk.com/news/d0cc2d8b-0971-4395-b7ac-ed2a9d9e6173/ufc-bmf-title-history-every-champion-masvidal-gaethje-holloway-oliveira
- Cageside Press — "Charles Oliveira vs. Diego Lopes BMF Title Fight Tops UFC 335" — https://cagesidepress.com/?p=231191
- Beacon Journal — "History of BMF: The unique UFC title inspired by Nate Diaz" — https://www.beaconjournal.com/story/sports/ufc/2025/08/08/ufc-history-of-bmf-title-nate-diaz/85556840007/
- Beacon Journal — "UFC 318: Holloway vs. Poirier 3 live updates, results of every fight" — https://www.beaconjournal.com/story/sports/ufc/2025/07/19/ufc-318-max-holloway-vs-dustin-poirier-3-new-orleans-retirement-trilogy-live-updates-results/85285880007/
- theScore — "Holloway retires Poirier, keeps BMF belt at UFC 318" — https://Www.thescore.com/mma/news/3313333/holloway-retires-poirier-keeps-bmf-belt-at-ufc-318
- Sportradar — "Dustin Poirier vs Max Holloway — UFC 318" (fight statistics) — https://sportradar.com/?q=1593522784341779415
- Yardbarker — "Former UFC champ likes the idea of 'BMF' belt but last 'BMF' fight fell short" — https://www.yardbarker.com/mma/articles/former_ufc_champ_likes_the_idea_of_bmf_belt_but_last_bmf_fight_fell_short/s1_17621_43612842
Fight data compiled from public statistical sources (ufcstats.com) and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). OctagonStats is an independent database, not affiliated with UFC / TKO Group.