Things are getting heated between Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway.
On Saturday, October 26, ‘El Matador’ will put his featherweight title on the line for the first time since scoring a stellar second-round KO against Alexander Volkanovski to capture his first bit of UFC gold. Standing in his way of a successful first defense is Holloway, a former 145-pound champion and current holder of the promotion’s bragging rights belt—the BMF title.
Recently, Topuria and Holloway engaged in a duel interview with Brendan Fitzgerald via ESPN MMA, and needless to say, things got pretty intense between the two. During one of the exchanges, Topuria accused ‘Blessed’ of doing everything he could to avoid fighting him, even going so far as to chase a fight with Irish megastar Conor McGregor.
”You [Holloway] were forced to fight me, you didn’t want to fight me, you were forced to fight me because you asked to fight with Michael Chandler, you asked to fight with Conor McChicken, you asked to fight with too many fighters because you were trying to avoid me,” Topuria said.
That prompted a fiery retort from Holloway who called Topuria’s statement a flat-out lie.
”Shut up, you’re lying, this guy’s [Topuria] a liar… I asked for you, I asked for nobody else, I asked for you… You were the first guy I asked for, I want the easiest fight, I want Ilia Topuria,” Holloway snapped back. “That’s what I said.”
🔥| Max Holloway calls Ilia Topuria a “LIAR” after claiming he was trying to duck him for Conor McGregor or Michael Chandler before they got booked for #UFC308, and Holloway says he asked UFC for the “EASIEST FIGHT” in Topuria‼️😳
“Shut up, you’re lying. This guys a liar. I… pic.twitter.com/XjneitgxrL
— Parry Punch (@ParryPunchNews) October 10, 2024
Ilia Topuria Plans to Put Max Holloway in a ‘Home For Old People’
Of course, Topuria didn’t stop there. During another more humorous exchange, ‘El Matador’ joked that he’d opened a “home for old people” following his win against ‘The Great’ in February and he’s already got a room set up for Holloway to join him.
”I already opened a home for old people where [Volkanovski] already has his room, I have another one for you [Holloway],” Topuria said. “So, I’m gonna put you right there after October 26, sponsored by Invictus…All for free, don’t worry, no expenses.”
He continued, ”Bring your pillow for the fireworks because once you’re going to see them start, you’re going to need your pillow”
Ilia Topuria says he's gonna send Max Holloway to an old-folks home along with Alexander Volkanovski 😳
"All for free, don't worry. No expenses."
🎥 @espnmma #UFC308 #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/qoKTF7jZjj
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) October 10, 2024
Topuria’s confidence is not without merit. He goes into his eighth promotional appearance boasting an impressive 15-0 record in MMA, including wins over Bryce Mitchell, Josh Emmett, and of course, Alexander Volkanovski.
Meanwhile, ‘Blessed’ makes his 30th walk to the Octagon with nearly a third of his appearances being five-round title fights. Holloway previously held the featherweight crown and successfully defended it three times against Jose Aldo, Brian Ortega, and Frankie Edgar. He also holds wins over Charles Oliveira, Anthony ‘Showtime’ Pettis, Arnold Allen, Yair Rodriguez, The Korean Zombie, and Justin Gaethje.
Watch the full interview below:
