UFC 326: Why the ceremonial BMF title has suddenly become a coveted commodity in UFC

The creation of the BMF title introduced a chaotic element into the world of UFC. Originally created as a one-off ceremonial title to crown the "baddest motherf---er" in the game when Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal met at UFC 244, the title is now regularly defended, including a bout between current champ Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira in the main event of UFC 326 on Saturday.

How do you even look at a title that is both symbolic but also actively put up as a prize between some of the best fighters in the world?

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One of the primary appeals to putting a title on the bout between Diaz and Masvidal -- aside from Diaz having declared himself "the baddest motherf---er in the game" -- was that both were extremely popular fighters who had never held true UFC gold. That is not the case with every other man to compete for the belt, with Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje having held interim titles and Holloway and Oliveira having been full UFC champions.

Fighting for the BMF title identifies you as a true fan favorite and one of the most exciting fighters in the sport.

History of UFC BMF fights

Masvidal never made a defense of the BMF belt, which, again, was not originally intended to be a regularly defended championship. Masvidal vs. Diaz was fought at welterweight, marking the only time the BMF championship was fought for outside the lightweight division.

That the BMF title has been fought for only at 170 and 155 pounds marks a departure from the standard combat sports idea of who is "the baddest," as heavyweight champions in boxing and MMA have often been labeled "the baddest man on the planet," with Mike Tyson famously carrying that nickname during his career.

"Not too much people get to fight for it, but not too much people get to even be in the conversation of this belt," Holloway told CBS Sports on Tuesday. "It's amazing it's huge. I'm using it to try to get back to undisputed the undisputed title. I got history with the interim titleholder [Justin Gaethje]. I got history with the undisputed titleholder [Ilia Topuria]. If we can go out there, get a UFC 300 moment, it's all about moments now. The viewership numbers that UFC numbered cards have been getting on Paramount+ are ridiculous."

As for the actual BMF title, the defining trait of fighters who compete for the belt is excitement, which can be seen in the sheer volume of post-fight bonuses won by the competitors.

Let's take a look at the bonus numbers for the men who have competed for the BMF title.

That's a stunning 87 post-fight bonuses combined among the men who have fought for -- or are scheduled to, in the case of Oliveira -- the BMF title. Oliveira's 21 bonuses are the current UFC record, unsurprising for the man who also holds the most wins by finish in the Octagon, also at 21.

BMF championship fights have delivered some iconic moments, from The Rock strapping the belt around Masvidal's waist after the inaugural fight to Gaethje brutally knocking out Poirier with a head kick to Holloway's iconic highlight reel knockout of Gaethje in the final second of their UFC 300 bout.

Saturday has every opportunity to deliver another of those iconic moments when Holloway's excellent striking, which has seen him defeat many of the greatest fighters in UFC history, meets Oliveira's solid striking and elite submission skills. Fights rarely come so perfectly made to deliver on the spirit of the BMF.