Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway are playing the blame game as their heavily rumored featherweight title class continues to lose traction.
‘El Matador’ scored a stellar second-round knockout against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 to take home the 145-pound crown. Five months later, we’re still no closer to his first title defense after talks seemingly stalled out between Topuria and the man everyone expects to be his first challenger, Max Holloway.
During a recent Q&A session with Marca, Topuria was asked about the status of his scrap with ‘Blessed,’ to which the champ responded by placing all the blame on the BMF titleholder.
“It’s not because of me,” Topuria said. “They called me to say that Max Holloway was having family issues, that he was having trouble cutting weight, and that he wanted to fight in a higher weight class. Honestly, I don’t know. I have no idea.”
Ilia Topuria provides an update on his next title fight
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It didn’t take long for Holloway to get wind of Topuria’s comments. Snapping back on social media, ‘Blessed’ accused Topuria of “making things up.”
“Guy is just making things up at this stage,” Holloway wrote. “I been ready.”
Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway go back and forth on social media
That comment kicked off a full-on back-and-forth between the two featherweight stars with Topuria telling Holloway to pick a date and give Uncle Dana a call.
“Choose a date, choose the way you want me to beat you, and write it here. I am ready to turn off your lights whenever and wherever. Call Dana,” Topuria responded.
“Been talking to them brother,” Holloway fired back. “You need to check your numbers. Since you said it the Sphere by toe hold. See you soon.”
“God bless you brother,” Topuria added. “Nothing against you! But it brings me great joy to be the first to disconnect you. It seems so fun.”
Topura is a perfect 15-0 in his mixed martial arts career, including seven straight wins inside the Octagon.
Meanwhile, Max Holloway has solidified himself as one of the greatest strikers in UFC history, going toe-to-toe with some of the biggest names in the game, including Conor McGregor, Clay Collard, Charles Oliveira, Jose Aldo, Frankie Edgar, Brian Ortega, Dustin Poirier, Alexander Volkanovski, and The Korean Zombie.
His most recent highlight came in April when he scored an insane buzzer-beating knockout against Justin Gaethje to claim the BMF belt. That win solidified Holloway’s spot at the front of the featherweight line, but when and where he gets the chance to cash in remains to be seen.