Featherweight champion Ilia Topuria sent Max Holloway a warning after UFC 300.
Holloway (26-7 MMA, 22-7 UFC) won the BMF title with an iconic last second Justin Gaethje knockout (25-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Topuria (15-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) was there and looked surprised after Holloway finished spectacularly. However, he welcomes “Blessed” as his next title challenger.
“To be honest, I’m really happy because we just saw Holloway win, so I realized I’m going to have two belts instead of one,” said Topuria ESPN Sports. “I think it’s clear now. We have the next fight. It will be against Max Holloway. … We will see. Nothing concrete, but there was a good chance that if he emerged victorious from the octagon he could be next. I’m not sure if he’s hurt. I hope not, so he can come back soon and we can fight.”
Unlike most, Topuria wasn’t too impressed with Holloway’s finish.
“Well, it was good, nothing special to be honest,” Topuria said. “The end was just an exchange of punches without any strategy, both just throwing punches. Zero defense, without a doubt, and that kind of thing can happen, but that’s something that would never happen to me.”
Topuria also reminded Holloway that although he needed less than two rounds to dethrone Alexander Volkanovski, Holloway was unable to beat him in three tries.
“(Max) talked a lot during the week,” Topuria continued. “It’s normal. It’s what he has to do. He needs to believe he is the best. There is no other way in this sport, but the results are clear. I did in nine minutes (for Alexander Volkanovski) what he couldn’t do in 90 minutes. So he can say whatever he wants, enjoy it now and prepare for what’s to come. He can do whatever he wants. He’s not going to be able to change that.”
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