“As soon as [Max] starts to fight me and exchange blows, that’s the end of the fight,” said Ilia Topuria as he warned the former featherweight champion, Max Holloway of repercussions for their fight. Topuria and Holloway are about to set the stage on fire when they meet each other at the highly anticipated UFC 308. Many within the community believe that Holloway might get past ‘El Matador’ but the odds are heavily in favor of the featherweight champ and Topuria’s recent training footage is just another feather in the cap.

After Max Holloway’s spectacular performance at the UFC 300, the MMA community heavily inclined towards the former champion to get past Ilia Topuria but one must not forget about the undefeated record of the Georgian-Spanish fighter. ‘El Matador’s recent sparring footage showcases a well-disciplined Topuria training under his boxing coaches to get that knockout power.

It must be noted that Ilia Topuria is planning to knock out Max Holloway(a feat that has not been done by anyone). While having a conversation with the media, the featherweight champ warned the ‘BMF’ champion of the consequences, “Nobody can exchange blows with me because of my power and the technique I apply to each movement. So as soon as [Max] starts to fight, as soon as he points his finger down, if he does it from the beginning… that’s it.”

The combat sports community is just a month away from witnessing the highly anticipated UFC 308 card and the featherweight title is on the line. However, the recent sparring footage has caught the MMA community’s attention as they are now worried about Max Holloway’s prospects against Ilia Topuria.

Fans are ‘worried’ if Max Holloway can handle the heat Ilia Topuria is bringing

Starting off, Max Holloway’s fans appear to be worried about his fate considering the fact that ‘El Matador’ has never lost any match and has an 86% finish rate. Looking at the training clip, a fan wrote, “I’m gonna be the only truthful Max fan and say I am absolutely worried for this fight.”

The training footage showcased, Topuria going through an intense boxing session and the fans are literally concerned about his opponent now. A social media fan emphasized that Topuria could even consider boxing if he can do it this well. A fan wrote, “Ilia’s boxing is so crisp, one of the few MMA fighters that could make a successful transition to pure boxing.”

However, it must be noted that Max Holloway‘s boxing is equally good. During his masterclass against Brian Ortega, ‘Blessed’ threw 290 significant strikes breaking the record at UFC 231. Then, at a Fight Night in Abu Dhabi in January 2022, he broke his own record against Calvin Kattar, landing 445 significant strikes! What’s more impressive is that Kattar landed his personal best of 133 significant strikes in this bout and still fell to the Hawaiian.

With a record of 26 victories and 7 defeats,  ‘Blessed’ is one of the best fighters to have ever graced the Octagon. Interestingly, no one in the past decade has defeated him except Alexander Volkanovski. This feat alone makes him a mythical fighter but this time he is about to face someone who has the hunger to be the best and has the youth to impose that desire. So it’s no surprise that a fan is hopeful that Holloway will beat Topuria, it would be the ultimate feather on his cap – “If max beats this guy which I think he will my god.”

The fight between two of the best strikers inside the Octagon would be a treat to witness in Abu Dhabi. Topuria’s last match against Alexander Volkanovski was a class knockout victory for him. On the other hand, Mac Holloway’s knockout victory against Justin Gaethje was a testament to his skills. Looking at this an excited fan stated a pure fact,“this fight is either going to be super one sided or super balanced”

More fans are excited to witness this high-profile fight.“Bro this fight is gonna be crazy.” Last but not least, Max Holloway’s fanbase appears to be worried as they appreciate Topuria’s strength.“As a max fan, Man he’s a good.”

Their clash would set the stage for the future of the featherweight division. What’s your take on the match? Who do you think will emerge victorious? State your thoughts in the comments below.