When Max Holloway marched to the center of the Octagon during their fight at UFC 300, pointed to the floor, and invited Justin Gaethje to pitch with him until the final horn, he realized why the UFC created the “BMF” title. He embodied everything.
With only 10 seconds left on the scorecards for a guaranteed win, Holloway put it all on the line with a bomb exchange with Gaethje. In fact, the Hawaiian faceplanted the former interim lightweight champion in one second, resulting in one of the biggest knockouts in UFC history. remains on the clock. Having been prepared to take such a risk, Holloway seems to fully understand the thinking behind calling herself the “worst mother” in the sport, but she feels the same vibe from Ilya Topria. do not have.
Appearing on The MMA Hour on Wednesday, Topuria said he was only interested in fighting Holloway next if he took the “BMF” title, and if not, “I don’t want him at all. ” he said. In response, Holloway said that making such a request doesn’t really fit with the ethos of “BMF,” and perhaps just proves that Topuria isn’t actually ready to compete for the title. Stated.
“That’s not a very ‘BMF’ way of saying it,” Holloway told Jim Rome. “If you were a ‘BMF,’ you wouldn’t say, ‘I’m not going to fight this guy unless…’ That’s not a ‘BMF’ in a sense. He’d ask for it and you’d say, ‘I’m not going to fight.’ I don’t think it’s “BMF”.
“‘BMF’ will fight anything, anyone, anytime, at any weight, any time. That’s not how ‘BMF’ works.”
Holloway is adamant that he will eventually fight whoever the UFC chooses to face next, but a showdown with Topuria remains at the top of his personal wish list.
He said shortly after booking the fight against Gaethje that he had always envisioned regaining the featherweight title, which he held through three title defenses from 2017 to 2019.
In addition, Topuria stripped Volkanovski of the title and became champion, making Holloway’s path back to the belt easier after losing to Volkanovski three times in the past.
However, Holloway ultimately doesn’t mind getting past Topuria and then returning for a fourth time with Volkanovski. Because that’s exactly what a real “BMF” does.
“That was always my main goal. My main goal was always to fight Ilia,” Holloway said. “This was a fun fight. Shout out to Justin Gaethje. Justin Gaethje was the legendary ‘The Highlight’ and had everything to lose. He gave me a shot and this happened. But in my heart, until today, I wanted to fight Ilia no matter what, win or lose.
“People always ask me, ‘What do you think about Ilia?’ All that comes to my mind is, it’s questionable. The guy is very doubtful. I wish they wanted to fight. All other 145 candidates [Alexander Volkanovski], they went through me. They either fought me or had to fight me. That’s one man who avoided me. I don’t know how or why it happened, but that’s how he won the title. ”
Holloway praised Topuria, who became champion after dethroning Volkanovski with a brutal knockout at UFC 298 in February.
That said, Holloway delivered a not-so-subtle history lesson to Topuria when comparing each other’s resumes.
“He won against an opponent I didn’t understand,” Holloway said of the Topuria-Volkanovski fight. “He fought that guy once, I fought that guy three times, and he took nine minutes for a smooth match while I took 90 minutes, and he said I couldn’t do it. That’s crazy.
“That’s interesting. Last time I checked, when I was your age, you already had a title defense under your belt. So it seems like you still have some catching up to do.”
Topuria remains the top option for Holloway, but Holloway isn’t completely married to this opponent in particular, especially since there are so many other matchups available.
He could stay in a higher division and wait for a chance to face Conor McGregor or Michael Chandler after competing in the main event of UFC 303. Holloway could also have a shot at the lightweight title against Islam Makhachev, who is scheduled to defend his belt against Dustin Poirier at UFC 301 in June.
Whatever happens in the end, Holloway has no complaints. Because it cannot be said to be a true “BMF” champion.
“You have options. It’s always nice to have options, especially in this sport,” Holloway said. “I am now ranked in a higher weight class. My weight class is [145] I’m sitting there knocking on the door. Connor returns. There’s Ilia, and there’s Islam. Dustin is fighting Islam. He should be fun.
“As I said earlier, it is [145] The title is what I want. I would like it back. But no matter how the UFC wants to push me, they’re going to push me. I’m waiting. I would love to hear it. “
UPDATE: Topuria responded to Holloway at X, revealing that Brian Ortega could potentially defeat Holloway.
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