Tag: UFC 308

UFC Featherweight Champion Ilia Topuria believes predictions for his upcoming title defense have helped him identify plenty of “snakes in the grass.”

Eight months on from his memorable crowning in Anaheim at the expense of Alexander Volkanovski, Topuria will put his newly won gold on the line against another legend of the division.

Headlining next weekend’s UFC 308 pay-per-view in Abu Dhabi, “El Matador” will share the cage with former featherweight kingpin and current holder of the symbolic BMF title, Max Holloway.

The bout is among the most highly anticipated of the year thus far, and the recent success of both men have left a variety of predictions flying around the MMA community.

Topuria, however, has frequently insisted that “Blessed” will be light work for him come fight night. And with that in mind, he’s bemused by the number of UFC peers picking against him for the Oct. 26 event.

And during an appearance on Tuesday’s episode of The Ariel Helwani Show on Uncrowned, Topuria took a moment to address those doubting the continuation of his reign.

While he didn’t name names, the Georgian-Spanish champ suggested a number of those predicting a return to the throne for Holloway have previously interacted with him in-person.

Having seen their picks, though, Topuria has no plans to repeat that post-UFC 308…

“I’ve watched the predictions of all the UFC fighters. They are predicting that he is going to beat me,” Topuria said. “All the bums, f*ck you everyone. After I knock him out, don’t even tell me, ‘Hello,’ if you see me around. F*ck yourself everyone.

“Many, many fighters (are picking against me). I don’t even want to tell you the names because I don’t want to give importance about them. F*ck them all,” Topuria continued. “I’m taking notes. They are all like snakes in the grass. They see you around and then they are acting like fans. But when they have to do something, ‘No, Max is going to beat him.’ Maybe they feel a little bit of envy.”

Topuria continues to speak confidently when it comes to his first title defense, promising that Holloway won’t see a second round in Abu Dhabi later this month.

Pressure will certainly be on him to deliver. But should “El Matador” do so, his journey toward top spot in 145-pound history would certainly be off to a strong start, and perhaps a desired lightweight move to challenge Islam Makhachev could await.

• Read More: Max Holloway States Where Beating Ilia Topuria Would Rank Amongst His Biggest Achievements

Continue Reading Ilia Topuria Tells Fighters Picking Max Holloway To Stop In-Person Niceties: ‘F*ck Them All!’ at MMA News.

UFC Featherweight Champion Ilia Topuria believes predictions for his upcoming title defense have helped him identify plenty of “snakes in the grass.”

Eight months on from his memorable crowning in Anaheim at the expense of Alexander Volkanovski, Topuria will put his newly won gold on the line against another legend of the division.

Headlining next weekend’s UFC 308 pay-per-view in Abu Dhabi, “El Matador” will share the cage with former featherweight kingpin and current holder of the symbolic BMF title, Max Holloway.

The bout is among the most highly anticipated of the year thus far, and the recent success of both men have left a variety of predictions flying around the MMA community.

Topuria, however, has frequently insisted that “Blessed” will be light work for him come fight night. And with that in mind, he’s bemused by the number of UFC peers picking against him for the Oct. 26 event.

And during an appearance on Tuesday’s episode of The Ariel Helwani Show on Uncrowned, Topuria took a moment to address those doubting the continuation of his reign.

While he didn’t name names, the Georgian-Spanish champ suggested a number of those predicting a return to the throne for Holloway have previously interacted with him in-person.

Having seen their picks, though, Topuria has no plans to repeat that post-UFC 308…

“I’ve watched the predictions of all the UFC fighters. They are predicting that he is going to beat me,” Topuria said. “All the bums, f*ck you everyone. After I knock him out, don’t even tell me, ‘Hello,’ if you see me around. F*ck yourself everyone.

“Many, many fighters (are picking against me). I don’t even want to tell you the names because I don’t want to give importance about them. F*ck them all,” Topuria continued. “I’m taking notes. They are all like snakes in the grass. They see you around and then they are acting like fans. But when they have to do something, ‘No, Max is going to beat him.’ Maybe they feel a little bit of envy.”

Topuria continues to speak confidently when it comes to his first title defense, promising that Holloway won’t see a second round in Abu Dhabi later this month.

Pressure will certainly be on him to deliver. But should “El Matador” do so, his journey toward top spot in 145-pound history would certainly be off to a strong start, and perhaps a desired lightweight move to challenge Islam Makhachev could await.

• Read More: Max Holloway States Where Beating Ilia Topuria Would Rank Amongst His Biggest Achievements

Continue Reading Ilia Topuria Tells Fighters Picking Max Holloway To Stop In-Person Niceties: ‘F*ck Them All!’ at MMA News.

Max Holloway has already achieved some incredible things in his career by the age of 32. The former UFC featherweight champion and current BMF titleholder is certainly no stranger to being in the spotlight and that’s not going anywhere just yet.

However, his next outing provides a new challenge as he looks to reclaim the 145-pound gold when returning to featherweight to face the new champion, Ilia Topuria. The undefeated “El Matador” has been unstoppable thus far inside the Octagon but that only makes Holloway more excited.

He believes that a win at UFC 308 would rank pretty highly amongst his list of accomplishments, even if it doesn’t take the top spot.

Max Holloway Says Beating Ilia Topuria Would Likely Rank Third On His Personal List

In a recent interview with Stake, Holloway gave his thoughts on where being the first man to defeat Topuria, reclaiming the featherweight belt in the process, would fall in terms of his own viewpoint.

He believes that two moments will probably still rank higher even with this being one of the biggest fights of the year. “Blessed” said that it will take something special to upset his two favourite moments from his career because of the impact and personal significance that surrounds them.

“This victory would be in the top three of my career, for sure. Winning that first title will always be special. Beating Jose Aldo, the King of Rio and an idol of mine, nothing will ever beat that I don’t think. Secondly, the 300 moment has to be up there for me. All of the build-up and the lead up to it, there were so many things going on it felt bigger than the BMF title.

“Unless I can do something crazy to top that UFC 300 moment, then it might be second. It will 100% be a top three moment in my career, not just because it is for the title but also because of who it is against. This new generation guy, with a variety of different skills, he’s so powerful and athletic – but beating him would make this a top three moment of my career for sure.”

Continue Reading Max Holloway States Where Beating Ilia Topuria Would Rank Amongst His Biggest Achievements at MMA News.