Ilia Topuria refuses to buy into Max Holloway's growing reputation post UFC 300, shares iconic location in consideration for next title defense
Ilia Topuria wasn't overly impressed with Max Holloway's legendary knockout win against Justin Gaethje.
At UFC 300, Holloway stole the show by knocking out Gaethje with one second left to become the new BMF champion. 'Blessed' walked away with $600,000 in performance bonuses and added another win against a world-class fighter to his Hall of Fame resume.
One of the few people not impressed with Holloway's UFC 300 performance was Topuria, the reigning featherweight champion who dethroned Alexander Volkanovski. During an interview on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, 'El Matador' discredited the new BMF title holder by saying:
"I don't know, man. It's like, I know what's going to happen when we gonna share the octagon. I know that in reality, he's not so good that people think he is. You just have to see his face. He looks like he had an accident in a motorcycle without the helmet."
Watch Topuria's comments about Holloway below:
Ilia Topuria reveals when and where the UFC wants him to fight next
Ilia Topuria last fought on February 17, defeating then-featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski by second-round knockout. Since then, Topuria has become one of the biggest superstars in the promotion, adding excitement for his first world title defense later this year.
During the previously mentioned interview, Topuria revealed to Ariel Helwani that the UFC potentially wants him to fight at the highly anticipated event on September 6, which will go down inside the Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada:
"Me, I will be ready for September. August, I don't know, August, September, October, whatever. Always in shape, Ariel, always ready, ready to go and ready to kill, never ready to die... I think [the UFC] wants me to fight in the Sphere in September, so we will see."
Ilia Topuria is expected to defend his featherweight world title against Max Holloway or Alexander Volkanovski. It's unclear what the UFC plans to do, as Volkanovski arguably deserves an immediate rematch, while Holloway is destined to receive a title shot next time out after his UFC 300 performance against Justin Gaethje.
Watch Topuria reveal the UFC's potential plans for him to fight next in the Sphere in September below: