Ilia Topuria dares Max Holloway to brawl in the first 10 Seconds at UFC 308
Unbeaten featherweight champion, Ilia Topuria has vowed to floor incoming title challenger, Max Holloway at UFC 308 later this month, and the brash striker has now levelled a rather interesting challenge to the Hawaiian in the opening exchanges of their pairing.
Topuria, the current undisputed featherweight titleholder, most recently headlined UFC 298 back in February, handing then-featherweight champion, Alexander Volkanovski his first loss in the division in the Octagon, winning the crown and moving to 15-0 with a stunning second round knockout win in Anaheim.
As for Holloway, the former undisputed featherweight gold holder featured on the main card of UFC 300 most recently back in April, winning the symbolic BMF championship with a spectacular buzzer-beating knockout win of his own against former interim champion, Justin Gaethje.
Ilia Topuria urges Max Holloway to stand and trade with him at UFC 308
And claiming his striking will be too, sharp, precise and timely for Holloway when they share the Octagon at UFC 308, Topuria has now challenged the ex-champion to stand and trade with him in the opening ten seconds of their headliner in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
“I challenge you to have that exchange but in the first 10 seconds of the fight and you will see what is going to happen,” Ilia Topuria told Max Holloway during an interview with ESPN. “When you face a fighter like me inside the Octagon who brings that technique and power, you can’t do that. I’m going to take your head off in the first ten seconds.”
“The only thing exciting about that fight [with Justin Gaethje] was the last ten seconds, to be honest,” Ilia Topuria explained. “I didn’t see any technique in that fight. I didn’t see any strategy, I didn’t see anything, I just saw a bar fight, to be honest. It was very spectacular for the fans. But, for me, as a professional, it was not something very impressive.”
