The highly anticipated bout between Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway will take place in Utah. Although the UFC has not made the announcement officially, several reports reveal that Topuria will defend his featherweight title against Holloway later this year.
Fellow MMA fighters have confirmed the fight as well
Recently, on an episode of the MMA Hour podcast, the renowned journalist Ariel Helwani stated that “El Matador” will defend his title against Max Holloway in Utah. “How lucky is Utah, getting PFL on Friday and then Topuria and Max,” said Helwani.
While speaking to SHAK MMA, Brian Ortega also confirmed the rumors and stated that Topuria vs. Holloway is going to happen and the fight is already set. “I heard the fight is already made, let’s just say it that way. From what I heard, but I could be wrong- But I’m not usually wrong.”
Alexander Volkanovski reiterated this sentiment in an interview with Fox Sports and said that he heard Ilia and Max are confirmed to fight, so he has to talk to the UFC and see what happens. Volkanovski revealed that he wanted to rest for a while and the UFC wanted him to rest for a while, so if the Topuria vs. Holloway’s fight gets made, he will be okay with it.
Holloway will be a tough opponent for Topuria
For Topuria, this means his dream of defending the title in Spain will have to be put on hold. Initially, Topuria expressed a preference to face Brian Ortega in his first title defense and demanded that “Blessed” put his BMF title on the line. However, now it seems that Holloway will be the one to challenge the featherweight champion on his return to the division.
Holloway has never been knocked down in his 33 professional MMA fights and has only one loss in the featherweight division over the past decade, which came against Alexander Volkanovski. He is coming off one of the best performances, becoming the BMF champion by knocking out lightweight contender Justin Gaethje in the final seconds of round 5 at UFC 300. He is considered Topuria’s toughest challenge to date.
Also Read: UFC fighter Arman Tsarukyan faces suspension after brawling with a fan
