If Ilia Topuria holds to his current stipulation for a title struggle with Max Holloway, it will run counter to the thought behind what Topuria needs to get his fingers on to start with, Holloway thinks.
UFC featherweight champion Topuria (15-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) stated after this previous Saturday’s hyper-dramatic UFC 300 “BMF” title win by Holloway (26-7 MMA, 22-7 UFC) that it’s probably the previous champ had earned one other title shot.
However then Topuria stated he solely would grant Holloway an opportunity to win the belt if the “BMF” belt Holloway received in opposition to Justin Gaethje was up for grabs, too. And whereas that will seem to be a pure and cheap request, it’s additionally made Holloway increase his eyebrow a bit.
“We’ll see what occurs. I imply, that’s not a really BMF method to say it, you recognize?” Holloway stated on “The Jim Rome Present.” “A BMF wouldn’t be like, ‘I’m not going to struggle this man except this …’ That’s type of un-BMF. That didn’t sound BMF the way in which he’s making an attempt to demand it and say ‘I’m not going to struggle …’”
Topuria knocked out Alexander Volkanovski to win the featherweight title. Volkanovski holds three wins over Holloway in featherweight title fights and is the one featherweight to beat Holloway the previous decade.
However Topuria stated absent that BMF belt, he isn’t enthusiastic about combating Holloway.
“With out the BMF belt, I don’t need him in any respect,” Topuria stated Monday. “If not, I’m going to struggle with Volkanovski, who deserves the rematch greater than him. As a result of (Holloway) has that (BMF) belt, I’m enthusiastic about that. That’s why I need him. He’s been saying, ‘Proper now I’ve a number of choices’ and this and that. He doesn’t have any choices. I’m the champion proper now.”
Topuria thinks he might be right down to put the featherweight title on the road for the primary time – offered Holloway places that BMF belt up – by this fall.
However Holloway nonetheless thinks the mere ask of that drops Topuria a peg.
“A BMF fights each time – fights whoever, each time, any weight, any time,” Holloway stated. “That’s not the tone of a BMF, brother. We’ll see what occurs. Regardless of the UFC needs to do, they need to do. I simply need to be within the octagon with him. I need to see what the hype is about.”
Topuria backed up his hype in opposition to Volkanovski. He’s the one undefeated champion within the UFC.
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