Dustin Poirier claims he scored a knockdown over Max Holloway, UFC analyst agrees: "He had the safety net"
Dustin Poirier believes he is the first fighter to have knocked down Max Holloway, after he and UFC analyst Din Thomas watched back their UFC 236 clash from 2019.
'Blessed' is set to face Ilia Topuria this Saturday at UFC 308 for the featherweight title. The pair will headline the pay-per-view, which takes place at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
Since the fight was announced, the question on every MMA fan's mind is whether or not Topuria has the knockout power to crack Holloway's seemingly granite chin. According to the statistical records, the Hawaiian native has never been knocked out or knocked down in his UFC career.
There has been some controversy surrounding those stats though, following Holloway's UFC 300 win over Justin Gaethje. Despite knocking out 'The Highlight' in the fifth round, Holloway did get clipped and dropped to one knee earlier on in the fight, but it wasn't registered as an official knockdown.
According to Poirier, however, he is confident that he was actually the first person to knockdown Max Holloway.
In a video on ESPN MMA's YouTube channel, 'The Diamond' and Thomas watched back his 2019 clash against Holloway, and reacted to a moment in the second round where Poirier caught the Hawaiian with a jab that made him fall back into the cage.
Upon second viewing, Thomas said:
"That's a knockdown! That's a knockdown man, I didn't even recognize it before!"
Poirier responds:
"Yeah that's a knockdown. [Referring to the cage] That was a safety net! He had a safety net. They didn't call it a knockdown. I'd have been the first guy to sit him down."
Check out the pair's comments here (10:40):
Ilia Topuria praises Max Holloway ahead of UFC 308 title clash
Despite spending much of the build-up trash talking his opponent, Ilia Topuria has revealed he has nothing but respect for Max Holloway.
At UFC 308, Topuria hopes to successfully defend his 145-pound title for the first time. Ahead of their bout, the two 145'ers spoke to the press at the UFC 308 media day to share their final thoughts before entering the octagon.
Whilst many assumed Topuria would once again double down on his prediction of a knockout finish, the Georgian-Spaniard instead heaped praise on his opponent. He said:
"I always respect Volk, always. Before the fight, after the fight. There was nothing personal, I was only fighting for my dreams. This is the same thing as what's happening this Saturday with Max. I have all the respect for him, he is a great fighter... How can you not be a fan of Max Holloway? So, he's been a great example for me, but now it's my time to be that example."
Check out Ilia Topuria's comments below (7:30):