Ilia Topuria is currently the reigning UFC featherweight champion. He has been preparing for his upcoming title defense against Max Holloway at UFC 308. ‘El Matador’ recently took to social media to send a message to ‘BMF’ title holder Max Holloway. Here is what happened:
Ilia Topuria recently uploaded a video on X. In that clip, the undefeated ‘El Matador’ was laughing holding his UFC featherweight title belt which he won from Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298, and a mock BMF title belt. Holloway had won the BMF title in an iconic showdown against Justin Gaethje at UFC 300.
The fight is scheduled for this October in Abu Dhabi and has garnered significant attention. Initially, Topuria had aimed to challenge Holloway for the symbolic BMF title as well. However, it has been confirmed that the BMF belt will not be on the line during their bout.
Despite this, Topuria has confidently stated that his main goal is to knock out Holloway, regardless of the title situation. The undefeated champion will be defending his title for the very first time. He has even predicted a first-round knockout against Holloway who is a former UFC champion.
Ilia Topuria claims he can beat Max Holloway and Sean O’Malley on the same night
Ilia Topuria has made some bold statements since winning the featherweight title. His most recent one was when ‘El Matador’ claimed that he could defeat both Max Holloway and Sean O’Malley on the same night. The Spanish-Georgian UFC champion expressed his belief that both Holloway and O’Malley are not on his level.
Topuria made this bold statement in a recent interview with MMA Junkie. The champ sees his upcoming title defense as another opportunity to prove his dominance in the featherweight division. He has previously flirted with the idea of moving up to fight other champions like O’Malley or even Islam Makhachev.
But in reality, I know that they both suck. I can do with them whatever I want to do, I can do it with both of them. I can beat them both in the same night. No problem.
Ilia Topuria on MMA Junkie
Topuria has emphasized his ambition to become a multi-division champion. Topuria aims to achieve this by 2025, potentially setting up a champion vs. champion bout. After winning the featherweight title, he expressed his desire to challenge for the bantamweight belt, currently held by Sean O’Malley. However, UFC CEO Dana White pointed out that both champions must first defend their titles within their respective divisions before pursuing a double-champion status.
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