October 26 can’t come soon enough for Max Holloway and Ilia Topuria. The pair are set to take on each other on with the featherweight title on the line. But more than that, this fight is for all the bragging rights for the best boxer in the UFC. Holloway, who has long laid claim to that title, recently got disputed by Topuria on LIVE TV.
Both fighters have excellent striking skills and this match-up promises to be entertaining. With the featherweight title on the line, both fighters will leave it all out in the octagon come fight night.
In a recent interview with ESPN MMA on YouTube, Holloway claimed that he is the best boxer in the UFC and Topuria just dismissed him, asserting that the Hawaiian native had no head movement or knockout power or proper technique.
“Bro, that’s a shame, don’t say that again I recommend don’t say that again….No head movement, no knockout power, no technique……I saw him working with the bags, bro what the f*ck is this.”
The champion mocked Holloway for his bag work and pad work by trying to imitate him, which led to the pair laughing at each other during the interview, a recurring theme with this promotional tour.
Although there is no real bad blood between the pair yet, they have nurtured a dislike for each other to add some extra motivation going into the fight.
Doing that will be hard for ‘El Matador‘ though since he has been a fan of Holloway for a long time.
Ilia Topuria claims he was a Max Holloway fan
UFC 308 is an idol turned rival moment for the featherweight champion, Ilia Topuria. The young Spaniard has been watching Max Holloway for a long time and has seen his featherweight reign.
In the same interview with ESPN MMA, ‘El Matador’ revealed that he was always a Holloway fan because he liked the way he fought,
“To be honest, I’ve been a [fan of Max Holloway] for many many years. I’ve followed the prime of your career since I took my first steps in MMA. You were a great example for the new generation, but now it’s my time.”
The Spaniard revealed that he used to try and emulate ‘Blessed’ when he began his MMA journey. But MMA is a funny sport like that, now Holloway is the one chasing Topuria for the belt.
UFC 308 promises to be a blockbuster, not just because of the main event, but also because of how stacked the rest of the card is.
