Ilia Topuria wants Max Holloway to replicate Justin Gaethje-like stand-and-bang exchange at UFC 308: "I’m going to take your head off"
Ilia Topuria recently issued a stern warning to Max Holloway ahead of their title fight. Topuria challenged Holloway to replicate the last ten seconds of his fight against Justin Gaethje when the featherweight duo square off at UFC 308.
Holloway moved up to lightweight for the second time in his UFC career when he squared off against Gaethje for the BMF title at UFC 300 earlier this year. Despite being ahead on the scorecards, 'Blessed' pointed to the center of the octagon, as he's done previously, as a challenge to his opponent to stand and bang. Gaethje obliged, but got knocked out in the final second.
In a recent joint interview with Brendan Fitzgerald on ESPN MMA's YouTube channel, Topuria vowed to knock out Holloway in the first round if the Hawaiian points to the canvas again. The UFC featherweight champion said:
“I challenge you [Holloway] 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.”
Before his warning, Topuria criticized Holloway, claiming that his KO win against Gaethje lacked technique.
''The only thing exciting about that fight was the last 10 seconds, to be honest. I didn’t see any technique in that fight. I didn’t see any strategy, I didn’t see any f*****g thing.''
Check out Ilia Topuria's comments below (7:12):
Ilia Topuria promises to send Max Holloway to an old age home where Alexander Volkanovski "already has a room"
Ilia Topuria's first featherweight title defense will take place at UFC 308 against Max Holloway on Oct. 26. The Spaniard won UFC gold with a spectacular knockout victory against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 earlier this year.
In the aforementioned ESPN interview, Topuria made a strong prediction by saying that Holloway would meet the same end as Volkanovski.
''I already open a home for old people where [Volkanovski] already has his room, I have another one for you. So, I'm gonna put you right there after October 26, sponsored by Invictus... All for free, don't worry, no expenses... Bring your pillow for the fireworks, because once you're going to see them start, you're going to need your pillow'' [15:05]