"I think he's a fan of me" - Max Holloway addresses Ilia Topuria's remark and how hard it is to read the Spaniard
Max Holloway recently addressed Ilia Topuria's remarks about him and explained why it is difficult to read the reigning UFC featherweight champion. The Hawaiian is scheduled to challenge him for his featherweight championship, which will mark the Spaniard's first title defense.
UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi will be the site of the featherweight title clash, which fans have been anticipating since 'Blessed' last second knockout win over Justin Gaethje. There have been plenty of back-and-forth exchanges through their respective social media and interviews as they continue to build anticipation for their main event bout.
While speaking to ESPN MMA's Brett Okamoto, the 'BMF' title holder described what he has noticed about 'El Matador's personality. Holloway mentioned that he saw a remark on social media that has even led him to believe that Topuria is a fan of his:
"After the [UFC] 300 moment, the camera's on him and the dude is just he's him, he's himself. He's an odd fellow I would say...I just noticed yesterday some people were tagging me on Twitter, he commented on one of my Instagram posts saying, 'Let's go Max'. I think he's a fan of me...and I think he can't deny it. I think deep down inside, he's really cheering for me, which is kinda weird but he's just an odd fellow, man." [7:58 - 8:32]
Check out the full interview with Max Holloway below:
Max Holloway praises Ilia Topuria as a fighter
In addition to sharing his thoughts on Ilia Topuria as a person, Max Holloway heaped praise on the Spaniard as a fighter.
During the aforementioned interview, 'Blessed' praised 'El Matador's skillset for why is such a great fighter. Holloway also mentioned that Topuria was able to defeat Alexander Volkanovski, which he was unable to in three attempts:
"[Topuria] beat a guy that I had three cracks at and couldn't figure it out...If we compare our records of my road to the title and his road to the title...it is what it is...He still had to win and he still did it and he still won and he still is the champion. He's a great fighter, he's a good fighter. He'd be dumb to not think that he is. He got power...speed, but he never fought me yet." [9:56 - 10:47]
Check out Dana White announcing Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway for UFC 308 below: