Promotional leader, Dana White has revealed he realised during the second round of UFC 308’s headliner between Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway that he likely should have put the symbolic BMF championship on the line as well as the featherweight crown — admitting he regretted not doing so.
Headlining UFC 308 over the course of the weekend, unbeaten featherweight striker, Topuria would turn in a blistering third round win over former champion and symbolic BMF titleholder, Holloway, becoming the first fighter in mixed martial arts to both land a knockdown and subsequently knockout the Hawaiian.
Wobbling Holloway with a huge overhand right in the third round, Georgian-Spaniard favorite, Topuria would then wind up with a ferocious left hook, sending the former champion to the canvas with a massive finish via a slew of ground strikes.
Dana White regrets not putting BMF belt up for grabs at UFC 308
And weighing up a rematch title fight with another former champion, Alexander Volkanovski — whom he won the title from back in February with a similarly devastating knockout win, Topuria likely should have been competing for the BMF crown as well at UFC 308, according to the above-mentioned, Dana White.
“(Ilia) Topuria’s belt was on the line — Max (Holloway) was trying to take that,” Dana White told assembled media following UFC 308. “I wanna say it like halfway through the second round I said, ‘Sh*t. We should’ve put the Bad Motherf*cker title up on this fight, too, because these guys are both it.’”
“I don’t know what we’ll do with it [the BMF championship] yet, but Max still has it,” Dana White explained. “Max holds the title, so we’ll see what happens.”
Notably, whilst attending his media obligations after UFC 308, unbeaten finisher, Topuria sported both the undisputed featherweight gold as well as the symbolic BMF championship — much to the disgust of the above-mentioned, Holloway.