Max Holloway thinks UFC is trying to “push” Ilia Topuria away from him 😳
“I think UFC let me fight everyone at 145 pounds. [Ilia] There’s a reason…
On October 26th, I will prove to the UFC why they tried to keep him away from me.”
🎥 YouTube/… pic.twitter.com/GXuCr2znT1
— Championship Round (@ChampRDS)
September 17, 2024
Max Holloway believes UFC protected Ilia Topuria from him and he looks to show why in their upcoming fight.
Holloway will challenge Topuria for the featherweight title in the main event of UFC 308 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 26. Topuria won the belt with a second-round knockout victory over Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 in February of this year. Many believe Volkanovski’s short return since his knockout loss to Islam Makhachev in October 2023 affected his performance in this bout.
But Holloway isn’t going to blame Topuria for winning against an opponent he’d lost to three times before. “Blessed” believes the reason he hasn’t faced him until now is because UFC has been protecting the unbeaten star. The Hawaii native will be looking to prove exactly why at UFC 308.
“Many people criticize Ilia’s strength of schedule, but [Volkanovski] I had it. [Topuria] “He did what he had to do, he simply won,” Holloway said on his YouTube channel. “He beat a guy that I beat three times. [chance] To win. And he did. He had a chance. But I think the UFC made me fight all the other challengers. [145 pounds] Except for him, there is a reason. And here we are, on October 26th, why the UFC
[shielding] Keep him away from me.”
Holloway appeared far removed from title contention after losing his third title to Volkanovski in 2022. Holloway bounced back with wins over Arnold Allen and Chan Sung Jung, but his BMF lightweight title win over Justin Gaethje in April this year propelled him back into title contention, while Topuria has won five of his seven UFC victories, including dominating wins over the likes of Bryce Mitchell and Josh Emmett.