Ilia Topuria vows to put Max Holloway in "a home for old people" where Alexander Volkanovski "already has his room" ahead of UFC 308
Ilia Topuria recently issued a harsh warning to Max Holloway ahead of their title fight at UFC 308. Topuria said he will send Holloway to an old age home, where he had apparently already put former champion Alexander Volkanovski.
After exchanging several jabs on social media and throughout interviews, Topuria and Holloway will eventually cross paths inside the octagon. In an attempt to win back his title, Holloway is scheduled to face Topuria for the featherweight title. The two will compete in the main event of UFC 308, which will be held on October 26 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
During a recent interview conducted by Brendan Fitzgerald on the ESPN MMA's YouTube channel, Topuria and Holloway exchanged barbs with one another. 'El Matador' accused the 32-year-old of attempting to avoid a fight with him and issued a strong warning to him, saying he would suffer the same fate as Volkanovski.
''I already open a home for old people where Volk [Volkanovski] already has his room, I have another one for you [Holloway]. So, I'm gonna put you right there after October 26, sponsored by Invictus...All for free, don't worry, no expenses.''
Topuria added:
''Bring your pillow for the fireworks, because once you're going to see them start, you're going to need your pillow''
Check out Ilia Topuria's comments below (15:05):
The two have a lot of hostility going into the title fight. In a previous interview with MMA Junkie, Topuria had some harsh words for Holloway, who has yet to suffer a knockout loss in his professional MMA career.
The reigning champion promised to knock out Holloway in the opening round if the Hawaiian points to the canvas, as he did in the closing moments of his BMF title fight with Justin Gaethje at UFC 300.
Ilia Topuria doubled down on his claim to knock out Max Holloway
Ilia Topuria appeared confident ahead of his title fight with Max Holloway as he backed his claim to hand his opponent his first knockout loss of his professional career. In the aforementioned interview with ESPN MMA, Topuria said:
''I challenge you to have that exchange in the first 10 seconds of the fight and you will see what’s going to happen. When you face a fighter like me inside the octagon, who brings that technique and that power, you can’t do that. I’m going to take your head off if you do that.” [7:12]
Notably, Holloway's only stoppage loss came via submission against Dustin Poirier at UFC 143 back in 2012.