Max Holloway calls Ilia Topuria "a liar" and "the easiest fight" after being accused of trying to avoid a fight: "You were the first guy I asked for"
Max Holloway recently slammed Ilia Topuria after the latter accused him of avoiding a fight. Holloway cited Topuria as an easy matchup and asserted that the reigning champion was the first fighter he requested a bout with.
UFC 308 will feature a highly anticipated featherweight title showdown between Topuria and Holloway. As they prepare for their title fight, they have been taking subtle shots at one another in interviews and social media posts.
The two 145-pounders got into an argument when they spoke to Brendan Fitzgerald on ESPN MMA's YouTube channel. 'El Matador' accused 'Blessed' of avoiding a fight with him, claiming the latter would have liked to face Michael Chandler or Conor McGregor instead.
''You [Holloway] were forced to fight me, you didn't want to fight me, you were forced to fight me because you asked to fight with Michael Chandler, you asked to fight with Conor McChicken, you asked to fight with too many fighters because you were trying to avoid me.''
This prompted a fiery reaction from Holloway, who went off on Topuria, saying:
''Shut up, you're lying, this guy's [Topuria] a liar... I asked for you, I asked for nobody else, I asked for you... You were the first guy I asked for, I want the easiest fight, I want Ilia Topuria. That’s what I said.”
Check out Max Holloway's response to Ilia Topuria's accusations below (14:05):
Holloway is coming off his sensational last-second knockout against Justin Gaethje at UFC 300. Meanwhile, Topuria made history as the first featherweight fighter to defeat Alexander Volkanovski, claiming UFC gold with a devastating second-round KO.
Ilia Topuria wasn't impressed with Max Holloway's knockout of Justin Gaethje
In the aforementioned ESPN interview, Ilia Topuria expressed his thoughts on Max Holloway's knockout win over Justin Gaethje at UFC 300. While it was thrilling for the fans, Holloway lacked technique, according to Topuria, who said it resembled a "bar fight."
'El Matador' said:
''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. I just saw a bar fight, to be honest. It was very spectacular for the fans but for me, as a professional, I don’t know, not something very impressive because you can impress everyone but you know the technique behind that knockout and it was zero.” [6:32]