Watch: Max Holloway talks ‘odd dude’ Ilia Topuria

Max Holloway has seen it all in is 12 years as a UFC fighter.

The Hawaiian has been blessed to have crossed paths with some of most well-regarded combatants in history, like Conor McGregor, Jose Aldo, Alex Volkanovski and earlier this year in a now-legendary battle, Justin Gaethje.

In a little over a month’s time, Holloway steps into the cage one more time in a bid to regain the UFC’s featherweight championship when he takes on a fighter from the new era, the reigning 145-pound champion Ilia Topuria in the main event of the UFC’s return to Abu Dhabi on October 26.

And against the impressive Topuria, unbeaten in 15 career fights, Holloway says that he will take pride in proving any doubters wrong one more time.

“I’ve been an underdog my whole life,” Holloway told Oscar Willis of The Mac Life. “I’m not even supposed to be here talking to you. If the older me could [talk to the] younger self of me and say you’ll do all this stuff, I’d say you’re crazy bro. At the end of the day I’m just blessed, man. I’m blessed to be here.

“I’m still young. I’m only turning 33 at the end of the year. People keep forgetting because I’ve been around for a long time but at the end of the day, come October 26 we’ll see how has the last laugh.”

“He’s an odd dude, he’s an odd fella,” Holloway adds in response to reports that Topuria purchased his own ‘BMF’ belt to mirror the one Holloway claimed earlier this year against Gaethje. “But hey, whatever gets him going, whatever confidence he needs. I want the best Ilia. Go buy a couple more ‘BMF’ belts, go buy a couple more UFC belts. Just keep that same energy when it comes to October 26th.”

But make no mistake, the Hawaiian knows the scale of the task awaiting him in the Middle East next month.

“He’s good. He’s good, bro,” Holloway says. “I’d be a liar if I said his boxing ain’t nothing. He’s got great combos. He’s got great power, knockout power in both his hands.

“But when I was his age, I had a title defence already. There’s levels to this, and I can’t wait to go out there and remind people.”