Max Holloway upset the odds as he outclassed and knocked out Justin Gaethje to become the third BMF champion in history at UFC 300. The reaction of the UFC stars in attendance at the event showed how brutal the knockout was as Holloway faceplanted Gaethje to the canvas. One fighter who was not impressed by the performance of Hollway was Ilia Topuria, the featherweight champion.
Even though he was up on the scorecards, Holloway called for the dangerous Gaethje to stand and bang in the center of the octagon and eventually secured a buzzer-beating knockout. Ilia Topuria, who was at the venue, disregarded the performance of Holloway in his interview on the MMA Hour.
“The last 10 seconds, it was amazing as a fan perspective. But before that, I was not impressed at all,” said Topuria.
“I didn’t see any technique, I didn’t see any strategy, I didn’t see any power, I didn’t see anything. I didn’t see any head movement,” Topuria said of the fight as he stated that what he saw between Gaethje and Holloway was a ‘bar fight’.
Nevertheless, Holloway called for a title shot against Topuria for the featherweight title in his post-fight speech per Bleacher Report. With Holloway’s victory at UFC 300, Topuria now has options to choose for what could potentially be his first title defense.
What’s next for Ilia Topuria?
Ilia Topuria’s trajectory to becoming the UFC’s featherweight champion closely resembled that of “The Notorious” Conor McGregor. Like McGregor who dethroned the long-reigning Jose Aldo via brutal knockout, Topuria did the same to Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298.
After the victory, Topuria called out McGregor in his post-fight speech, but Volkanovski expressed his claim for an immediate rematch against the Georgian. In his interview on the MMA Hour, Topuria revealed that the UFC wants him to headline UFC 306 at the Las Vegas Sphere with Holloway and Volkanovski as potential opponents.
Ilia Topuria says he won’t fight Max Holloway unless the BMF belt is on the line:
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) April 17, 2024
“Without the BMF belt, I don’t want [to fight Max] at all. If not, I’m gonna fight with Volk who deserves more than him, the rematch.
He’s been saying ‘right now I have a lot of options’, he… pic.twitter.com/68FtrIXQ6G
Topuria would like to face Max Holloway next only if the BMF title is on the line. If not, he is much more likely to rematch Alexander Volkanovski. As he had already knocked out Volkanovski, the chances are that the UFC will likely make the fight with Holloway.
Who do you think should be next for Ilia Topuria? Leave your thoughts below!
