“Blessed” was blessed with a cool experience.
It has been almost a week (Sat., Oct. 26, 2024) since Ilia Topuria became the first man to knockout Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) legend Max Holloway at UFC 308 to notch his first Featherweight title defense from inside Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE (watch highlights).
Holloway shared a video of him surfing in Abu Dhabi two days after the fight.
“Monday was for the pool!” Holloway wrote. “Shout out to the goat Kelly Slater for taking care of me and the team over at @surfabudhabi. The whole team got shacked!”
Watch Holloway surf below:
Holloway was surfing at Surf Abu Dhabi, the’ biggest man-made wave’ salt water pool in the world. The pool is 612 yards long and 93 yards wide, generating up to 8 to 10-foot waves. The pool can accommodate 30 surfers at a time.
Surf Abu Dhabi was created by surfing megastar Kelly Slater, who is also a huge mixed martial arts (MMA) fan. It makes sense that he would jump at the chance to let Holloway shred waves after his big fight.
Holloway intends to return to the octagon next Summer for International Fight Week and will most likely become a permanent Lightweight.