As UFC 308 approaches, the hype for its headline fight between featherweight king Ilia Topuria and BMF title holder Max Holloway continues to build, reaching a fever pitch. This rising tension has sparked trash talk between the fighters, with ‘Blessed’ recently taking a jab at ‘El Matador’. Holloway downplayed Topuria’s knockout victory over Alexander Volkanovski earlier this year, stating, “That was a hurt [Volkanoski],’ and I understand, but ‘Volk’ felt like he was good enough to go in there, and Ilia did what he did. He still had to do what he do.”

This comment drew the ire of ‘El Matador’, who reminded ‘Blessed’ of a brutal truth with a touch of taunt in a recent interview with a Spanish media outlet.

Ilia Topuria reutrns fire at Max Holloway

Since his knockout victory against Alexander Volkanovski in February, Ilia Topuria stepped away from the Octagon, focusing on other endeavors, particularly traveling the world, with a strong emphasis on Spain. The Georgian native, along with his family, even obtained Spanish citizenship. Now, set to defend his title for the first time, Topuria is back in the spotlight.

When he heard Max Holloway’s remarks dismissing the significance of his title win against Volkanovski, an achievement he considers the biggest of his life, he responded sharply. Delivering a brutal reality check to ‘Blessed’, ‘El Matador’ stated, “He never underestimates anyone. I’m preparing to defend my title. Volkanovski had never been knocked out in his division either, and look. They had to give Holloway a raise to say yes. They’ve really made me dizzy.”

Max Holloway’s statement doesn’t seem fitting in downplaying the importance of Alexander Volkanovski, against whom he fought three times and failed to win on all three occasions, a blemish on an otherwise stellar career that not even his recent knockout win over Justin Gaethje in the lightweight division can erase. On the other hand, Ilia Topuria quickly finished Volkanovski with a picture-perfect combination.

To Holloway’s credit, he has a point. Volkanovski’s last two back-to-back losses came when he was not at his best. A short-notice fight against Islam Makhachev followed a darker period in the Australian’s life. ‘The Great’ admitted that he was not dealing well with inactivity and jumped at the opportunity for UFC 294. Then, he took the Topuria fight without fully recovering from the headkick KO against Islam Makhachev. It was a grave mistake, considering that the heavy kick injured Makhachev’s shin also.

What’s worse, Volkanovski was at the dreaded age of 35, at or passing which, fighters at the lower weight classes (welterweight and below) usually do not have much success in title fights. However, this doesn’t mean ‘Blessed ‘ is in complete denial; he openly accepts the facts.

Max Holloway opens up about Ilia Topuria’s win over Volkanovski

Two years ago, Max Holloway marked a decade in the UFC promotion with his career in the featherweight division. If we exclude some of his fights against lightweight contenders, his overall record reflects a stellar career in featherweight. However, the only blemish is his three defeats against Alexander Volkanovski, including two consecutive losses. Ilia Topuria has frequently taken digs at these defeats,  but Holloway is not shy about admitting them.

In a recent interview with ESPN MMA, Holloway admitted, “Bro, I’d be lying to you if I said he wasn’t good. He beat a guy that I had three cracks at and couldn’t figure out. He went in there one time [and won].” ‘Blessed’ further remarked that Ilia Topuri’s journey in the promotion seemed easier, having faced opponents like Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor, claiming, “It is what it is. People are gonna say, ‘He had an easier path.'”

What do you think about Ilia Topuria’s remark on Max Holloway? Do you also believe that knocking out Alexander Volkanovski is a significant achievement, or is it that Volkanovski had his time, as Rocky Balboa once famously stated, ” Time takes everybody out; time’s undefeated,” which might be true in Volkanovski’s case? Share your opinion below.