Alexander Volkanovski speculates whether Max Holloway will fall for Ilia Topuria's "silly" mind games
Alexander Volkanovski recently shared his thoughts on the psychological tactics employed by Ilia Topuria ahead of his clash against Max Holloway at UFC 308. Topuria has boldly claimed that he could become the first fighter to knock out Holloway in his 33-fight professional career and also asserted that he would mock his rival's boxing skills by challenging him at his own game.
Topuria has indicated that he plans to turn the tables on Holloway by pointing to the canvas at the start of their bout, a sharp jab aimed at Holloway’s iconic move that invites opponents to engage in a striking exchange. During a recent interview with Submission Radio, Volkanovski shed light on whether Holloway will fall prey to Topuria's mind games. He said:
"Of course, he would for Max [Holloway] to just point at the floor. We know Ilia's got great hands right. He would just love to stay in that boxing range. That's where he has his chance of landing the big shot even though Max has got an incredible chin. But I don't think Max is that silly."
Volkanovski added:
"I'm sure Max is looking at that and be like, 'I believe you think that you have to fight that way to beat me.' But Max is probably thinking that, 'I can beat you in many different ways.' But Max being Max, he's probably going to be winning and still do the same thing anyway."
Check out Alexander Volkanovski's comments below (5:00):
Max Holloway wants to let his skills do the talking against Ilia Topuria at UFC 308
Max Holloway will take on Ilia Topuria on Oct. 26 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, in a bid to dethrone 'El Matador' and claim the featherweight championship.
In a recent video on his YouTube channel, Holloway acknowledged that while he will make some adjustments based on his opponent, a complete overhaul of his fight plan is not on the table.
In Topuria’s last fight at UFC 298, he dethroned Alexander Volkanovski by knockout in the second round. Volkanovski dethroned Holloway and defeated him two more times during his reign as the champion.
This context adds an intriguing layer to Holloway's preparations, as he aims to get insights from Topuria's performance. Speaking about the upcoming fight, he said:
"Topuria is sharp. He went out there and did his thing. It was a quick fight, hard to learn much from that. But I’ve watched a lot of other footage of him, so I’ll show you what I’ve learned. I don’t like to talk, I like to show. Wait and see on October 26.”
Catch Max Holloway's comments below (8:00):