Ilia Topuria expects end of the year matchup against Max Holloway

Featherweight champion Ilia Topuria was in attendance at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas for the historic UFC 300 event on April 13.  He was there for one reason, to see if Max Holloway defeated Justin Gaethje in their ‘BMF’ bout.  

Holloway did beat Gaethje and did so in highlight reel fashion.  With ten seconds remaining in the final round, Holloway was up on the scorecards.  Instead of coasting to the win, he pointed to the ground to signify his willingness to throw down until the end.  Gaethje obliged and found himself face down on the canvas with one second left on the clock.  

“I was just hoping him (Holloway) to win because if he was to win I was supposed to fight him next,” Topuria said on The MMA Hour.  “He did a great job.  To be honest, the greatest moments in the fight we all know was the last ten seconds.  Without that, I didn’t like the fight.  But what makes the fight special was the last ten seconds.  The real bad motherf**ker moment, so you have to give him his credit.”    

Topuria expects to face the former featherweight titleholder near the end of the year.  Holloway is ranked second in the division.  

“Hopefully we’re going to share the octagon until the end of the year,” Topuria said.  “You know what’s going to happen.”

Related: Joe Rogan reacts to Max Holloway’s ‘greatest knockout of all time’

“Fighting against me is going to be completely different because I don’t make any step backs.  All the time I walk forward.  I can wrestle.  I can go to the ground.  I can punch you and I move.  When I go inside that cage with a strategy.  I don’t go there just to throw some punches,” Topuria continued.  “Max Holloway, he’s next.  He’s next.”  

Topuria challenged Holloway to do what he did in the last ten seconds of the UFC 300 fight with Gaethje in the first ten seconds of the fight against him.  

“Just bring the same energy you had in the last ten seconds but bring it in the first ten seconds.  And we’ll see what’s going to happen.  Let’s bang,” Topuria said.