Max Holloway has one of the more legendary chins in mixed martial arts history.
The Hawaiian will seek to regain the UFC featherweight title he previously held later this month when he takes on the unbeaten Ilia Topuria at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi but to do so, he will have to do something that no man has yet achieved in the UFC (or elsewhere): crack the Topuria code.
Holloway, though, comes with his own puzzles to solve. He is among the best strikers in UFC featherweight history but also a fighter who has been famously difficult to finish, as evidenced by the zero knockout or TKO defeats throughout his 33-fight career.
But in a heated interview featuring both men conducted by UFC commentator Brendan Fitzgerald, Topuria pledged to not only defeat Holloway when they meet in the cage later this month but to also become the first man to finish him via strikes.
“You already have seven professional defeats. I have zero,” Topuria said, addressing his opponent. “So, you’re going to do it once again really well, I don’t have any doubts about that. You are a great example of that.
“I don’t have any doubts that I will be the first one to knock you out. I don’t even want you to trust in that because if you’re starting to trust in what I’m saying, you’re not going to show up, and I need you to show up for the fight.”
Holloway will enter the cage in Abu Dhabi on the back of arguably the best knockout win of his career — a last second buzzer-beater KO of Justin Gaethje at UFC 300 back in April. And while Holloway received numerous plaudits for the manner of that particular win, Topuria wasn’t quite so forthcoming with praise.
“Bro, I was so bored watching that fight,” he said. “The only thing exciting about that fight was the last 10 seconds, to be honest. But I didn’t see any technique in that fight. I didn’t see any strategy. I didn’t see any f*cking thing. I just saw a bar fight, to be honest. It was very spectacular for the fans, but for me, as a professional, it was a — I don’t know. Not something very impressive.
“I challenge you to have that exchange in the first 10 seconds of the fight and you will see what’s going to happen. When you face a fighter like me inside the octagon, who brings that technique and that power, you can’t do that. I’m going to take your head off if you do that.”
