Max Holloway vs. Ilia Topuria is arguably one of the UFC’s most anticipated upcoming fights. Both fighters are in their primes, and fans anticipate an all-out striking showdown. Topuria will defend his featherweight title for the first time at UFC 308, and he has a strong message for Holloway.
Since his debut, Ilia Topuria has established himself as one of the best strikers in the promotion. He has a great combination of speed and power and Joe Rogan believes Topuria has mastered the art of boxing. Ahead of UFC 308, the Spaniard has been fixated on warning Holloway to use a helmet in the fight.
Better than ever. I really wouldn’t want to be in someone else’s shoes, believe me…Right now in my weight class, a good motorcycle helmet is needed, because if not, there is no solution.
Ilia Topuria via Diario AS
Ilia Topuria is a knockout specialist and has four knockout finishes in seven UFC fights. In his last fight, the fighter brutally dropped former pound-for-pound ace, Alexander Volkanovski to become the featherweight champion. Topuria believes he’s levels above everybody else and plans to move up and beat Islam Makhachev for double champion status.
Ilia Topuria on how his preparation for the Max Holloway fight is going:
“Better than ever. I really wouldn’t want to be in someone else’s shoes, believe me…
Right now in my weight class a good motorcycle helmet is needed, because if not, there is no solution.”
🎥 @diarioas… pic.twitter.com/MESI9ouvpz
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) September 12, 2024
Topuria is already a big superstar and has collaborated with various top athletes like Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos. The fighter has plans to defend his title in the iconic Santiago Bernabeu in front of his home crowd. Dana White is also fond of this idea but before that, UFC 308 is the next big challenge for the featherweight champion.
Many believe Topuria holds the advantage over Holloway. This is because he has no holes in his game. Moreover, he also breaks down an opponent and exploits their weakness. Contrastingly, Holloway tends to rely more on heart and passion to get him through fights.
UFC bantamweight champion predicts Max Holloway vs. Ilia Topuria
Going into UFC 308, the animosity between Max Holloway and Ilia Topuria is palpable. Both fighters have repeatedly dissed each other on social media and have vowed to make a statement on the fight night. Similarly to Topuria, Holloway is riding a massive hype that started following his legendary performance at UFC 300.
The ‘Blessed’ has promised to take it to another level and make an even better impact at UFC 308. Sean O’Malley, who is eyeing a move to featherweight, recently shared his views on the fight. ‘Suga’ stated that Holloway has a slight edge over the defending champion.
Ilia is very, very skilled, Ilia’s up there top 3 pound for pound in my opinion…but I think Max could potentially piece him up
Sean O’Malley via UFC 306 pre-fight presser
👀Sean O’Malley believes Ilia Topuria is top 3 pound for pound but still thinks Max Holloway will beat Topuria in their featherweight title fight:
“Ilia is very, very skilled, Ilia’s up there top 3 pound for pound in my opinion…but I think Max could potentially piece him up”… pic.twitter.com/AfM7GXbI1p
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) September 11, 2024
O’Malley’s coach mentioned that between Topuria and Holloway, the former is an easier fight to win in a potential clash. Both O’Malley and Topuria have already been trolling each other online. If both win their respective fights at UFC 306 and 308, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them in a bout.
