Tag: Max Holloway

Ilia Topuria Reacts To Max Holloway’s BMF Title Not Being On The Line At UFC 308: ‘When I Beat Him, He Can’t Say He’s A BMF’

While not officially up for grabs in the UFC 308 main event, Ilia Topuria still believes Max Holloway’s BMF status is at risk of disappearing. As has been the case for the past two calendar years, lightweight kingpin Islam Makhachev was being lined up to headline the promotion’s annual pay-per-view event in Abu Dhabi in […]

Continue Reading Ilia Topuria Reacts To Max Holloway’s BMF Title Not Being On The Line At UFC 308: ‘When I Beat Him, He Can’t Say He’s A BMF’ at MMA News.

While not officially up for grabs in the UFC 308 main event, Ilia Topuria still believes Max Holloway’s BMF status is at risk of disappearing.

As has been the case for the past two calendar years, lightweight kingpin Islam Makhachev was being lined up to headline the promotion’s annual pay-per-view event in Abu Dhabi in October.

But with an injury set to keep the Dagestani sidelined until the end of the year or early 2025, the main event spotlight in the Middle East this time around will go to Topuria, the reigning featherweight champion, and all-time great Holloway.

The pair will do battle for the Georgian-Spaniard’s gold, which he won at the expense of Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 this past February. “Blessed,” meanwhile, garnered support for his latest chance to regain the belt by capturing the symbolic BMF strap with an emphatic last-second knockout of Justin Gaethje at UFC 300.

Putting this matchup together hasn’t appeared to be easy, with both men accusing the other of delaying a booking. On Topuria’s part, he originally suggested that he’d only share the cage with Holloway if the Hawaiian’s BMF belt was also put on the line.

That wish hasn’t been granted, but “El Matador” claims not to be bothered…

Topuria On lack Of BMF Stakes At UFC 308: ‘I’m Just Concentrating On My Title Defense’

During a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Topuria looked ahead to his first defense of the featherweight gold this fall.

The champ confirmed that just his title will be up for grabs come fight night on Oct. 26. But according to Topuria, Holloway will still lose BMF status should “El Matador” deliver the kind of performance he’s expecting in the UFC 308 main event.

“The BMF title is not going to be on the line,” Topuria said. “To be honest, I don’t care. They took that decision and, at the end of the day, it’s like, when I’m going to beat him, he can’t say he’s a BMF or however they want to call him. I’m just concentrating on my title defense and that’s it. I don’t care about anything else.”

Topuria will have the chance to make good on his confident pre-fight predictions in close to two months’ time, when his newly started divisional rule meets about as tough a test possible from its first challenger.

Continue Reading Ilia Topuria Reacts To Max Holloway’s BMF Title Not Being On The Line At UFC 308: ‘When I Beat Him, He Can’t Say He’s A BMF’ at MMA News.

Ilia Topuria Reacts To Max Holloway’s BMF Title Not Being On The Line At UFC 308: ‘When I Beat Him, He Can’t Say He’s A BMF’

While not officially up for grabs in the UFC 308 main event, Ilia Topuria still believes Max Holloway’s BMF status is at risk of disappearing. As has been the case for the past two calendar years, lightweight kingpin Islam Makhachev was being lined up to headline the promotion’s annual pay-per-view event in Abu Dhabi in […]

Continue Reading Ilia Topuria Reacts To Max Holloway’s BMF Title Not Being On The Line At UFC 308: ‘When I Beat Him, He Can’t Say He’s A BMF’ at MMA News.

While not officially up for grabs in the UFC 308 main event, Ilia Topuria still believes Max Holloway’s BMF status is at risk of disappearing.

As has been the case for the past two calendar years, lightweight kingpin Islam Makhachev was being lined up to headline the promotion’s annual pay-per-view event in Abu Dhabi in October.

But with an injury set to keep the Dagestani sidelined until the end of the year or early 2025, the main event spotlight in the Middle East this time around will go to Topuria, the reigning featherweight champion, and all-time great Holloway.

The pair will do battle for the Georgian-Spaniard’s gold, which he won at the expense of Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 this past February. “Blessed,” meanwhile, garnered support for his latest chance to regain the belt by capturing the symbolic BMF strap with an emphatic last-second knockout of Justin Gaethje at UFC 300.

Putting this matchup together hasn’t appeared to be easy, with both men accusing the other of delaying a booking. On Topuria’s part, he originally suggested that he’d only share the cage with Holloway if the Hawaiian’s BMF belt was also put on the line.

That wish hasn’t been granted, but “El Matador” claims not to be bothered…

Topuria On lack Of BMF Stakes At UFC 308: ‘I’m Just Concentrating On My Title Defense’

During a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Topuria looked ahead to his first defense of the featherweight gold this fall.

The champ confirmed that just his title will be up for grabs come fight night on Oct. 26. But according to Topuria, Holloway will still lose BMF status should “El Matador” deliver the kind of performance he’s expecting in the UFC 308 main event.

“The BMF title is not going to be on the line,” Topuria said. “To be honest, I don’t care. They took that decision and, at the end of the day, it’s like, when I’m going to beat him, he can’t say he’s a BMF or however they want to call him. I’m just concentrating on my title defense and that’s it. I don’t care about anything else.”

Topuria will have the chance to make good on his confident pre-fight predictions in close to two months’ time, when his newly started divisional rule meets about as tough a test possible from its first challenger.

Continue Reading Ilia Topuria Reacts To Max Holloway’s BMF Title Not Being On The Line At UFC 308: ‘When I Beat Him, He Can’t Say He’s A BMF’ at MMA News.

Ilia Topuria Confident About Knocking Max Holloway Out In The First: ‘Much Easier Than With Volkanovski’

Ilia Topuria grabbed the UFC featherweight title from Alexander Volkanovski in just his seventh fight for the promotion. He now boasts a perfect 15-0 record and will defend the belt for the first time against Max Holloway at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi on October 26, 2024. Many looked past Topuria as an overconfident prospect […]

Continue Reading Ilia Topuria Confident About Knocking Max Holloway Out In The First: ‘Much Easier Than With Volkanovski’ at MMA News.

Ilia Topuria grabbed the UFC featherweight title from Alexander Volkanovski in just his seventh fight for the promotion. He now boasts a perfect 15-0 record and will defend the belt for the first time against Max Holloway at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi on October 26, 2024.

Many looked past Topuria as an overconfident prospect ahead of the Volkanovski fight because he updated his record and status as the UFC featherweight kingpin on social media beforehand. However, he knocked out the champion in the second and silenced all the doubters.

“El Matador” is similarly sure about being the first fighter to knock out Holloway, that too in the first. He also claims “Blessed” to be an easier matchup for him than Volkanovski…

Ilia Topuria Predicts ‘Completely Masterpiece’ Performance Against Max Holloway At UFC 308

Topuria discussed his first title defense in an interview on the official MMA Junkie YouTube channel recently. He outright rejected fans who rank Holloway’s striking highly and proclaimed himself to be better in all areas.

“I feel like I’m way better than him everywhere. Simple like that. It’s like, it’s going to be a completely masterpiece, you will see, you will see. I will knock him out in the first round, there’s no doubts about that. It’s going to be even much easier than with Volkanovski because I consider that Volkanovski was like, a way difficult matchup for me and he proved it right? He beat the guy three times.”

“El Matador” also considers Volkanovski to be a much harder matchup for him than Holloway. “The Great” beat Holloway thrice, and a victory over him could be the source of Topuria’s high confidence.

Topuria added that Holloway’s been more vocal than usual with him due to fear. He also advised the challenger to avoid the wild swinging exchanges toward the end of rounds as it would make it easier for the champ to get a KO victory.

The UFC featherweight champion highlighted that he knocked out Volkanovski in seven minutes, unlike Holloway who’s had 75 minutes to do so.

Continue Reading Ilia Topuria Confident About Knocking Max Holloway Out In The First: ‘Much Easier Than With Volkanovski’ at MMA News.

Ilia Topuria Confident About Knocking Max Holloway Out In The First: ‘Much Easier Than With Volkanovski’

Ilia Topuria grabbed the UFC featherweight title from Alexander Volkanovski in just his seventh fight for the promotion. He now boasts a perfect 15-0 record and will defend the belt for the first time against Max Holloway at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi on October 26, 2024. Many looked past Topuria as an overconfident prospect […]

Continue Reading Ilia Topuria Confident About Knocking Max Holloway Out In The First: ‘Much Easier Than With Volkanovski’ at MMA News.

Ilia Topuria grabbed the UFC featherweight title from Alexander Volkanovski in just his seventh fight for the promotion. He now boasts a perfect 15-0 record and will defend the belt for the first time against Max Holloway at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi on October 26, 2024.

Many looked past Topuria as an overconfident prospect ahead of the Volkanovski fight because he updated his record and status as the UFC featherweight kingpin on social media beforehand. However, he knocked out the champion in the second and silenced all the doubters.

“El Matador” is similarly sure about being the first fighter to knock out Holloway, that too in the first. He also claims “Blessed” to be an easier matchup for him than Volkanovski…

Ilia Topuria Predicts ‘Completely Masterpiece’ Performance Against Max Holloway At UFC 308

Topuria discussed his first title defense in an interview on the official MMA Junkie YouTube channel recently. He outright rejected fans who rank Holloway’s striking highly and proclaimed himself to be better in all areas.

“I feel like I’m way better than him everywhere. Simple like that. It’s like, it’s going to be a completely masterpiece, you will see, you will see. I will knock him out in the first round, there’s no doubts about that. It’s going to be even much easier than with Volkanovski because I consider that Volkanovski was like, a way difficult matchup for me and he proved it right? He beat the guy three times.”

“El Matador” also considers Volkanovski to be a much harder matchup for him than Holloway. “The Great” beat Holloway thrice, and a victory over him could be the source of Topuria’s high confidence.

Topuria added that Holloway’s been more vocal than usual with him due to fear. He also advised the challenger to avoid the wild swinging exchanges toward the end of rounds as it would make it easier for the champ to get a KO victory.

The UFC featherweight champion highlighted that he knocked out Volkanovski in seven minutes, unlike Holloway who’s had 75 minutes to do so.

Continue Reading Ilia Topuria Confident About Knocking Max Holloway Out In The First: ‘Much Easier Than With Volkanovski’ at MMA News.

Ilia Topuria Confident About Knocking Max Holloway Out In The First: ‘Much Easier Than With Volkanovski’

Ilia Topuria grabbed the UFC featherweight title from Alexander Volkanovski in just his seventh fight for the promotion. He now boasts a perfect 15-0 record and will defend the belt for the first time against Max Holloway at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi on October 26, 2024. Many looked past Topuria as an overconfident prospect […]

Continue Reading Ilia Topuria Confident About Knocking Max Holloway Out In The First: ‘Much Easier Than With Volkanovski’ at MMA News.

Ilia Topuria grabbed the UFC featherweight title from Alexander Volkanovski in just his seventh fight for the promotion. He now boasts a perfect 15-0 record and will defend the belt for the first time against Max Holloway at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi on October 26, 2024.

Many looked past Topuria as an overconfident prospect ahead of the Volkanovski fight because he updated his record and status as the UFC featherweight kingpin on social media beforehand. However, he knocked out the champion in the second and silenced all the doubters.

“El Matador” is similarly sure about being the first fighter to knock out Holloway, that too in the first. He also claims “Blessed” to be an easier matchup for him than Volkanovski…

Ilia Topuria Predicts ‘Completely Masterpiece’ Performance Against Max Holloway At UFC 308

Topuria discussed his first title defense in an interview on the official MMA Junkie YouTube channel recently. He outright rejected fans who rank Holloway’s striking highly and proclaimed himself to be better in all areas.

“I feel like I’m way better than him everywhere. Simple like that. It’s like, it’s going to be a completely masterpiece, you will see, you will see. I will knock him out in the first round, there’s no doubts about that. It’s going to be even much easier than with Volkanovski because I consider that Volkanovski was like, a way difficult matchup for me and he proved it right? He beat the guy three times.”

“El Matador” also considers Volkanovski to be a much harder matchup for him than Holloway. “The Great” beat Holloway thrice, and a victory over him could be the source of Topuria’s high confidence.

Topuria added that Holloway’s been more vocal than usual with him due to fear. He also advised the challenger to avoid the wild swinging exchanges toward the end of rounds as it would make it easier for the champ to get a KO victory.

The UFC featherweight champion highlighted that he knocked out Volkanovski in seven minutes, unlike Holloway who’s had 75 minutes to do so.

Continue Reading Ilia Topuria Confident About Knocking Max Holloway Out In The First: ‘Much Easier Than With Volkanovski’ at MMA News.

On This Day: Conor McGregor vs. Max Holloway Met on the Undercard – August 17, 2013

Conor McGregor vs. Max Holloway August 17 2013Conor McGregor vs. Max Holloway went down 11 years ago to the day. Both were up-and-coming featherweight prospects throwing…

Conor McGregor vs. Max Holloway August 17 2013

Conor McGregor vs. Max Holloway went down 11 years ago to the day. Both were up-and-coming featherweight prospects throwing down on the undercard. This was a hungry Conor McGregor meeting a young Max Holloway.

Conor McGregor vs. Max Holloway – August 17, 2013

A former two-division champion in Cage Warriors, and only fight fight thus far in his UFC career, the hungry Conor McGregor had still yet to make an impact in the UFC. He was still considered an up-and-comer at this point, having merely one win inside the UFC.

The 21-year-old Max Holloway had a 3-3 record in the UFC and needed a win. During this fight, ‘Notorious‘ McGregor landed some impressive sharp punches with some precise lead kicks. He tore his ACL and was forced to shoot for takedowns. Ultimately, Ireland’s Mcgregor would get his hand raised after three rounds.

Despite a mix of wins and losses, this was the turning point for Holloway’s career. After taking this loss, he went on a 13-fight win streak, capturing the featherweight title, and had impressive wins over fighters such as Jose Aldo, Anthony Pettis, and Charles Oliveira, among others.

He wasn’t quite the megastar he is today, but Conor McGregor was clearly a talented fighter as the matchmakers gave him challenging bouts on his rise through the featherweight division. The young fighter defeated Chad Mendes, Jose Aldo, Dustin Poirier, and several others with his powerful left cross. Later, McGregor would make history by capturing two world titles in the UFC.

Conor McGregor vs. Max Holloway August 17 2013

UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Sonnen

UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Sonnen in 2013 was a pretty great event. Perpetual title contender Chael Sonnen was able to submit former Champion Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua. Heavyweight Travis Browne used a front kick to knock out Alistair Overeem. And Matt Brown would only need 30 seconds to knock out Mike Pyle.

Travis Browne Alistair Overeem