UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria responded to Max Holloway’s callout by issuing an ultimatum, expressing his confidence in his abilities and his desire to win the BMF title.
Following Holloway’s impressive victory over Justin Gaethje at UFC 300, where he secured a fifth-round knockout, he called out Topuria for a featherweight title fight.
Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway’s statements
The exchange between the two fighters has escalated through interviews and social media posts. Topuria, in a recent X post, asserted his dominance and indicated his willingness to face Holloway under certain conditions.
He threatened to fight Brian Ortega instead if his terms were not met, highlighting his authority in deciding the terms of the fight.
In response to Topuria’s demands, Holloway fired back, mocking the notion of attaching conditions to a BMF title fight.
He criticized Topuria for not embodying the spirit of a ‘Baddest Motherf-ker’ by making such demands, emphasizing that the title needs to be earned rather than requested.
During an interview with Jim Rome, Holloway further responded to Topuria’s stance, highlighting his own achievements and implying that Topuria still has much to accomplish before being considered on his level.
Max Holloway responds to Ilia Topuria saying that he won’t fight him unless the BMF belt is on the line:
“That’s not [a] very BMF way to say it. That’s kinda un-BMF.
A BMF fights whatever, whoever, whenever… that’s not a tone of a BMF.”
(via. @jimrome) #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/koLTV8uG8Q
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) April 18, 2024
Holloway’s comments reflected his rejection of Topuria’s demands and his determination to uphold the principles of the ‘BMF’ title.
