At UFC 318, the BMF title was successfully defended for the first time.
Max Holloway defeated Dustin Poirier and produced another five-round war that is fitting of the belt that he currently holds.
Having stopped ‘Blessed’ at UFC 308 last year, Topuria trolled Holloway on social media by claiming that the BMF belt is still his, posting a photo of his replica title.
‘El Matador’ may believe that he should be the rightful owner of the title but the BMF belt isn’t like other championship belts in that it isn’t on the line just because the champion is competing.
As Holloway targets a rematch with Topuria, where it could be winner takes all in a champ vs. clash matchup, another UFC titleholder has put his name in the mix.
Jack Della Maddalena stakes his claim as the lineal BMF champion in response to Ilia Topuria
After Jorge Masvidal won the inaugural BMF belt in 2019, ‘Gamebred’ competed four more times inside the Octagon without putting the title on the line.
Without an opponent that seemed to fit the ‘BMF’ parameters, the belt would eventually be made vacant following Masvidal’s retirement in April of 2023.
The title was then moved to the lightweight division where it was contested by Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje in the co-main event of UFC 291.
While it remains at 155-pounds in Max Holloway’s possession, if you take the lineal approach of whoever beats the champion, wins the title regardless of whether or not it’s up for grabs, the belt has never left welterweight.
As seen below, that would make current welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena the lineal champion.
| Lineal BMF title holder | Opponent they beat | Event | Result |
| Jorge Masvidal | Nate Diaz | UFC 244 – 2019 | TKO (Doctor Stoppage) |
| Kamaru Usman | Jorge Masvidal | UFC 251 – 2020 | Unanimous Decision |
| Leon Edwards | Kamaru Usman | UFC 278 – 2022 | KO (Head Kick) |
| Belal Muhammad | Leon Edwards | UFC 304 – 2024 | Unanimous Decision |
| Jack Della Maddalena | Belal Muhammad | UFC 315 – 2025 | Unanimous Decision |
‘JDM’ recently responded to Ilia Topuria’s post about him being the rightful champion by making reference to this point, downplaying ‘El Matador’ in the process.
He wrote on his Instagram story, “Little fella is a little confused,” having commented “It’s actually mine,” underneath Topuria’s post.
Max Holloway wants there to be more clarity regarding who is deserving of a BMF title shot
The BMF title having a completely different history compared to the lineal through line shows that it has always been a championship that doesn’t operate like any other.
However, Max Holloway recently pleaded with the UFC to change this by introducing some more structure.
He said during the UFC’s ‘About Last Fight’ show that he wants there to be BMF rankings to make it clearer who his likely challengers are.
One of the names mentioned during the interview was Dan Hooker, with former opponent Charles Oliveira being another good option for Holloway.