Hooker accuses Oliveira of killing the BMF title's spirit ahead of UFC 335 defence

Dan Hooker has laid the blame for the BMF title’s fading credibility squarely at the feet of Charles Oliveira and the UFC, saying the Brazilian’s dominant but grappling-heavy decision win over Max Holloway at UFC 326 stripped the symbolic belt of its identity. Oliveira will defend the title against Diego Lopes in the main event of UFC 335 on December 12.

“It was cool for a bit and then he kind of made it not cool,” Hooker told Submission Radio. “I think he killed it.”

Hooker’s frustration runs deeper than one performance. He argues the UFC lost the plot when it began matching the belt with fighters who don’t embody the chaotic, trash-talking spirit that gave it meaning in the first place. The BMF concept was born at UFC 241, when Nate Diaz delivered a fiery post-fight promo that led to he and Jorge Masvidal contesting the inaugural title at UFC 244. Masvidal won that night, Justin Gaethje later claimed a vacant belt by defeating Dustin Poirier, and Holloway produced one of the sport’s all-time great performances at UFC 300 to take it from him.

“You know where they fcked it up?” Hooker said. “They should have kept it like Nate Diaz, Masvidal kind of shit. They had badass motherfckers fighting for it like that, but then it should be the guys that want to throw down and just talk shit as well. Then they had Max do it, and he’s like the nicest guy in the f*cking world. They let too many nice guys have a crack.”

For Hooker, the belt was always meant to belong to a specific type of fighter — one with a messy record, a loud mouth, and a willingness to brawl. He cited himself and Bobby Green as examples of fighters who fit the mould regardless of their win-loss columns.

Despite his misgivings about the title’s direction, Hooker is keeping a close eye on UFC 335. He faces Brian Ortega at UFC Qatar on November 21, and if he wins, he sees a potential path to challenging Lopes for the BMF belt — provided Lopes gets past Oliveira.

“For some reason, they’re adamant on this BMF belt sticking around and just having another belt to put up for grabs, but yeah, I like that fight,” Hooker said of the Oliveira-Lopes matchup. “I feel like Diego Lopes is a strong contender for that.”

Hooker acknowledged that a fight with Lopes would represent a significant step up. “Diego Lopes beating Charles Oliveira, I feel like that’s a much bigger ask,” he said. “But yeah, I like that fight, for sure.”