Ilia Topuria challenges Max Holloway to Justin Gaethje-like exchange at UFC 308 in heated interview
October 9, 2024 8:45 pm ET
UFC 308 is right around the corner, and the headliners Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway are itching to step into the cage to settle things for the featherweight title.
The undefeated champion Topuria (15-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) is confident he will not only retain his gold, but also become the first to finish former champ Holloway (26-7 MMA, 22-7 UFC) by knockout.
The fight goes down in the main event of UFC 308 on Oct. 26 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. While there are still two weeks before they can get their hands on each other, that hasnât stopped them from hurling verbal jabs at one another.
âYou already know how it feels to bounce back,â Topuria said to Holloway in a pre-fight interview moderated by Brendan Fitzgerald. âYou already have seven professional defeats. I have zero. So, youâre going to do it once again really well, I donât have any doubts about that. You are a great example of that.â
The interview began with respectful yet sarcastic banter, but with each exchange, the sarcasm grew until full-on insults were spewed.
âI took a lot of peopleâs doughnuts, bro,â Holloway replied. âI hope you like churros because youâre about to get one come Oct. 26, buddy.â
Topuria dismissed Holloway, and claimed he will become the first person to knock out the former featherweight champion, whose only stoppage loss came by submission to Dustin Poirier at UFC 143 in 2012.
âThe only thing Iâm going to do is take your lights out and party with all my people, all my team. Thatâs what Iâm going to do,â Topuria said. âAnd Still. This is whatâs going to happen.
â⊠I donât have any doubts that I will be the first one to knock you out. I donât even want you to trust in that because if youâre starting to trust in what Iâm saying, youâre not going to show up, and I need you to show up for the fight.â
Topuria explained his confidence comes from studying the divisionâs greats before him, including Alexander Volkanovski and Holloway. Topuria knocked out the former in his last fight at UFC 298, finishing the former champion in the second round.
Holloway enters this title opportunity coming off a Knockout of the Year contender at UFC 300, when he violently slept Justin Gaethje with one second left on the clock after pointing to the ground, inviting him to trade bombs until the final horn.
Topuria was not impressed with that fight, nor the finish. He even took it a step further, issuing a challenge to Holloway.
âBro, I was so bored watching that fight,â Topuria said. âThe only thing exciting about that fight was the last 10 seconds, to be honest. But I didnât see any technique in that fight. I didnât see any strategy. I didnât see any f*cking thing. I just saw a bar fight, to be honest. It was very spectacular for the fans, but for me, as a professional, it was a â I donât know. Not something very impressive.
âI challenge you to have that exchange in the first 10 seconds of the fight and you will see whatâs going to happen. When you face a fighter like me inside the octagon, who brings that technique and that power, you canât do that. Iâm going to take your head off if you do that.â
Holloway laughed at the challenge and said Topuria wouldnât do it because he gets tired quickly. The recurring response from âBlessedâ was to express his excitement for fight night while repeating, âWeâll see,â and, âWeâre going to find out,â in rebuttal to Topuriaâs bold opinions.
Topuria claimed Holloway didnât want to take the fight against him and would have rathered face Michael Chandler, which prompted a fiery reply.
âYou were the first guy I asked for,â Holloway said. âI said I want Ilia Topuria. I want the easiest fight. I want Ilia Topuria. Thatâs what I said.â
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