UFC CEO Dana White announced the fight for UFC 308 that MMA fans have been dying to get: Ilia Topuria vs Max Holloway for the Undisputed UFC Featherweight Title on October 26 in Abu Dhabi. Let's dive into why this fight might be the biggest of the year for the UFC (pending a Conor McGregor return or a Jon Jones vs Stipe Miocic set date). Topuria, the current UFC Featherweight champion, has won every one of his fights with five knockouts, eight submissions, and only two decision wins. It's safe to say that this man is riding that undefeated streak pretty high and has no plans of losing.
The champ has talked the talk and walked the walk, solidifying his status as the No. 1 UFC Featherweight in the world. But he has a formidable challenger as his first title defense against Max Holloway. Holloway is a former UFC Featherweight champion, current BMF title holder, and considered by many to be one of the best, if not the best, UFC Featherweight of all time. You could also argue that Holloway is the best striker in the UFC, holding the record for most total strikes landed in UFC history (3622) and most significant strikes landed in UFC Featherweight division history (2892). Holloway will be a challenging task for the champion Topuria to overcome.
My Thoughts
Ilia Topuria has two things every fight company wants out of someone: A spotless Win-Loss record and an attitude. He will sell fights if he needs to. However, the problem with Topuria is that he is going about this incorrectly. He is making himself up to be a fake villain. He called out Conor McGregor after winning the Featherweight title, which makes no sense because McGregor has not fought in the UFC since 2022 or in the Featherweight division since 2015. Everyone wants to fight Conor McGregor because if you are across the Octagon from him, you know you are getting a big paycheck regardless of the outcome because of the amount of star power McGregor brings to the squared circle. But it's confusing to me for a newly minted champ to taunt a fighter who has not fought in your division for such a long time and has no plans to go down in weight.
Topuria also claimed that the UFC "forced" Holloway to sign the contract for the fight, going out of his way to make it seem like Holloway was afraid of him. This is also a blunder on Topuria's end because why would a former champion be "forced" to sign a contract that guarantees him a title fight? Holloway is also riding a 3-fight win streak, one of the most notably against hard-hitting Lightweight title challenger Justin Gaethje. If I were Holloway, I'd jump on the chance to fight for my former championship in a heartbeat. These actions that Topuria has done have turned fans against them, all the more rallying behind Holloway and for him to return to his spot at the top of the mountain at Featherweight.
The Verdict
Ilia Topuria will be a tough challenge for Max Holloway. Holloway will be going up against an undefeated champion with only a pair of decision wins to his resume, making Topuria all the more dangerous. But Topuria must not underestimate Max Holloway. Holloway has been in this situation before and knows how to defend a belt. Not to mention again, Holloway is the best striker in the UFC, so this first title defense for Topuria will be all the more challenging. I do not see Topuria figuring out how to counter Holloway's fast striking, and he will receive the first loss on his resume.
Earlybird Fight Pick: Holloway by UD
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