In the wake of his big KO win over the weekend, Max Holloway remains committed to a back-and-forth trash-talk with Ilia Topuria . Amidst their social media tirade, the featherweight champ stipulated that he’d fight Holloway if the ‘BMF’ belt was on the line. Downplaying each other’s feats, ‘El Matador’ has now threatened to move on to a new opponent.
Max Holloway bagged the BMFstrap after an iconic last-second knockout of Justin Gaethje . Returning home a victor, he had told KHON2 News’s Rob DeMello that Topuria is the fight to make. The current 145-pound champ overwhelmed Alexander Volknaovski, who Holloway is 0-3 against. However, Ilia Topuria made headlines at this week’s The MMA Hour, overtly firing back at him. To follow up, Topuria issued a fiery tweet on X, saying that Brian Ortega was a possible challenger.
The only thing questionable about me is whether I finish you by ko or submission. I just beat the guy that beat you not once, not twice, but 3 times. You now have the one thing that keeps you relevant and that would grant you a money fight, the BMF belt… Winning that belt while holding my title will cement me as the first…to hold both belts…If you don’t like the terms I’m sure Ortega will oblige. Ilia Topuria via X (@Topuriailia)
Holloway had called out the Spaniard after his UFC 300 win. The Hawaiin fighter called Topuria’s record questionable, lacking any substantial title defenses at all. Hence, the featherweight champ fired back, promising to finish Holloway when they fight. Moreover, Brian Ortega has entered the conversations for a title shot if Topuria and Holloway continue to disagree over the terms of their title fight.
The only thing questionable about me is whether I finish you by ko or submission.I just beat the guy that beat you not once, not twice, but 3 times. You now have the one thing that keeps you relevant and that would grant you a money fight, the BMF belt. I no longer fight for…
— Ilia Topuria (@Topuriailia) April 19, 2024
Barring Volk and Holloway, Brian ‘T-City’ Ortega is the #3 ranked featherweight after a fresh win at UFC Mexico City. Hence, Topuria sneered back by offering Ortega the featherweight title shot. Topuria recently told Ariel Helwani that he might make his maiden defense at UFC 306 (Noche UFC 2), surprising fans. Fighting Ortega (Hermosillo, Mexican descent) now remains likely, considering UFC 306 coincides with the celebrations of Mexican Independence Day.
Current featherweight champ Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway have engaged in quite a to-and-fro. These past few days have seen both fighters throwing shades upon each other’s achievements and accolades. Holloway (26-7 MMA, 22-7 UFC), the former champ, is currently the BMF titleholder that Topuria yearns for.
On the other hand, the Spaniard is undefeated at 15-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC, and is surging in popularity. Banking upon a growing rivalry, Topruia recently took to his IG account and poked fun at the rival. The imagery in his IG Stories shows Holloway’s bloodied-up face, thus downplaying his BMF status.
Ilia Topuria via Instagram #UFC300 pic.twitter.com/fnjbm3AmBc
— MMA Orbit (@mma_orbit) April 19, 2024
Notwithstanding this, ‘El Matador’ might be the only one in his harsh judgment of the Hawaiian fighter. Levels Fight League (LFL) of the Netherlands has implemented a “Max Point Throwdown” bonus. Holloway inspires the $5,000 bonus purse, which can be earned anytime a fighter “initiates by pointing to the center of the ring” to trade blows.
— Levels Fight League (@LFL_MMA) April 19, 2024
Honouring @BlessedMMA performance at #UFC300, we're introducing a bonus to Levels Fight League:
– Fighters initiate by pointing to the centre of the ring
– Fighters initiate the exchange, putting it all on the line pic.twitter.com/CSWDWaCQXD
So, instead of a last-ditch attempt, the Dutch MMA promotion has turned Holloway’s knockout into something thematic. LFL hopes this will audaciously generate some interesting highlight knockout reels inspired by Holloway. All in all, his UFC 300 knockout has garnered much traction amongst fans and pundits.
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