It seems to be like Ilia Topuria is preparing for his first featherweight title protection.
In February, ‘El Matador’ shocked the world with a stunning second-round knockout of Alexander Volkanovski, capturing the 145-pound crown and kicking off a brand new period in one of many promotion’s most stacked divisions.
Within the time since, former champion Max Holloway has emerged as the following man in line following his buzzer-beaking KO of Justin Gaethje to assert the BMF belt at UFC 300.
The UFC has not made any official bulletins, however all indicators level towards Topuria putting his belt on the line against ‘Blessed’ in a scrap anticipated to go down in late summer time/early fall.
Just lately, Topuria supplied struggle followers a glimpse of what awaits Holloway contained in the Octagon through his Instagram Stories.
To this point, Ilia Topuria is an ideal 15-0 in his combined martial arts profession with a higher than 50% end price, together with eight submissions and 5 knockouts. Beneath the UFC banner, he’s already earned finishes over the likes of Damon Jackson, Ryan Corridor, Jai Herbert, Bryce Mitchell, and naturally, Alexander Volkanovksi.
Ilia Topuria vows to be the primary man to KO Max Holloway
Surprisingly, Topuria and Holloway haven’t but crossed paths. In his dozen-year-long profession with the UFC, ‘Blessed’ has confronted virtually everybody who’s run by way of 145, together with Conor McGregor, Clay Collard, Cub Swanson, Charles Oliveira, Jeremy Stephens, Anthony Pettis, Jose Aldo, Brian Ortega, Frankie Edgar, Calvin Kattar, Yair Rodriguez, The Korean Zombie, and the aforementioned Volkanovski.
Maybe much more spectacular than his resume is the truth that regardless of preventing a assassin’s row of featherweight expertise, Max Holloway has by no means as soon as been KO’d in his profession.
That’s one thing Topuria plans to vary of their impending conflict.
“There may be at all times the primary time [for a knockout],” Topuria told Sportskeeda. “That is going to be the primary time that somebody goes to knock him (Holloway) out, and I’m the one who’s gonna try this. I see the primary time we’re gonna begin to alternate the fingers, I’m gonna take his lights out, for certain. I do know that. I simply want one clear punch and I’ve the facility to place him to sleep.”
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