Ilia Topuria did not find anything special in Max Holloway’s fighting style. The Spaniard was in attendance at UFC 300 and watched the Hawaii native deliver a last-minute knockout against Justin Gaethje. Holloway put on a performance worthy of being called the BMF in the UFC. Justifying the magnitude of the spectacle he delivered, Holloway walked out with $600,000, bagging both the Fight of the Night and the Performance of the Night bonus. Soon after the match, videos of Topuria reacting to the fight in utter disbelief went viral on the internet with fans claiming that he looked scared.
Ilia Topuria did not respond to Max Holloway’s call-outs during his octagon interview. However, he decided to talk about the BMF champion after the fight. Carlos Legaspi on X got the opportunity to interview Topuria via ESPN Deportes. He asked Topuria what he thought of the fight. ‘El Matador’ responded by saying,
“Well it was good, nothing special to be honest….without any strategy, both just throwing punches..He doesn’t know what to do when he is under pressure, can’t walk backwards.”
Ilia Topuria on Max Holloway (subtitled)
-He is certain that Max will be next for him
-Says anything can happen When you just exchange punches, but he is smart inside the octagon, thinks Max is basic
-“I did in 9 minutes what he couldn’t in 90 (against Volk)”Vía @espndeportes pic.twitter.com/z9jUSF1p9k
— Carlos Contreras Legaspi (@CCLegaspi) April 15, 2024
Ilia Topuria believes Max Holloway has a big loophole in his fight game. He claims that the newly crowned UFC BMF champion does not know how to handle pressure and fight while walking backward. Meanwhile, ‘Blessed’ is aiming for a return to the featherweight division. And with the performance he delivered at UFC 300, it is only justified that Holloway would aim for a title bout with Topuria.
Max Holloway plans to move back down to featherweight and fight Ilia Topuria
Max Holloway called out Topuria and Islam Makhachev for a fight. The Hawaii native is vying for a title shot in either of the weight classes. Following his call-out, a reporter asked him about what his future plans were. The BMF champion spoke about Topuria, saying,
“There’s a El Matador he’s doing everything in his will to try to escape the bull in the pen I’m here.”
“He’s ‘El Matador.’ He’s doing everything he can to try to escape a bull in the pen. I’m here.”
Max Holloway is ready to return to featherweight challenge Ilia Topuria after #UFC300 pic.twitter.com/ZMvLRP2gES
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) April 14, 2024
Max Holloway revealed that he has a lot of options on the table for his next fight. Although, looking at the current scenario, his move down to the featherweight seems like the only viable option. Islam Makhachev will be facing off with Dustin Poirier in June. Following the fight, the victor would again defend his title most probably later this year. Thus, with so much going on in the lightweight division, it is on Holloway to choose his moves wisely. But for now, ‘Blessed’ has only one thing in mind, he wants to rest with his family.
