Max Holloway punched his ticket to a title shot with a buzzer-beating knockout win over Justin Gaethje at UFC 300. Following the win, Holloway called out Ilia Topuria for a fight. For a long time now, Topuria has been wanting to defend his title at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid. However, Max Holloway has a different vision for where he wants the fight to take place.
After his win at UFC 300, Holloway requested Rogan to invite him on his YouTube podcast and the latter obliged. While on the podcast, the conversation soon turned to Holloway’s upcoming fight against Topuria, and ‘Blessed’ shared his vision for the bout, saying,
“I don’t think they’re going to go Spain this year. I don’t think they can. I think Dana White said it in the 300 conference. He said we’re going to Spain but it just takes time because he’s gotta book something and its going to be a year. I hope Vegas, or Vegas Allegiant stadium, 66,000. Brother, that is what it is. That is the ninth Island brother. Give me Allegiant stadium and let’s go crazy there.”
The Allegiant Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Las Vegas that is home to the Las Vegas Raiders. While the Santiago Bernabeu is an equally impressive venue, Vegas is the fight capital of the world, and a big fight at the Allegiant stadium has a different aura about it. Hence, unfortunately for Topuria, his dream might have to take a back seat for a while.
A closer look at Max Holloway vs Ilia Topuria
Holloway was the featherweight champion for the longest time before Alexander Volkanovski dethroned him. ‘Blessed’ came up short against Volkanovski on three occasions while trying to win his title back. Hence, even though it was highly unlikely for Holloway to get a fourth shot at the title, a new champion at 145 pounds allowed him to fight for the championship once again.
Ilia Topuria shocked the world by brutally knocking out Volkanovski at UFC 298. Although Holloway intended on facing Topuria since then, the hype around their fight increased due to the Hawaiian’s recent performances. Hence, even though there is no rumored date for the bout, it should take place shortly after UFC 303 since both fighters are relatively healthy and injury-free.
