Video – UFC champ Ilia Topuria shows off his power ahead of proposed title fight with Max Holloway
It looks like Ilia Topuria is getting ready for his first featherweight title defense.
In February, ‘El Matador’ shocked the world with a stunning second-round knockout of Alexander Volkanovski, capturing the 145-pound crown and kicking off a new era in one of the promotion’s most stacked divisions.
In the time since, former champion Max Holloway has emerged as the next man in line following his buzzer-beaking KO of Justin Gaethje to claim the BMF belt at UFC 300.
The UFC has not made any official announcements, but all signs point toward Topuria putting his belt on the line against ‘Blessed’ in a scrap expected to go down in late summer/early fall.
Recently, Topuria offered fight fans a glimpse of what awaits Holloway inside the Octagon via his Instagram Stories.
Thus far, Ilia Topuria is a perfect 15-0 in his mixed martial arts career with a greater than 50% finish rate, including eight submissions and five knockouts. Under the UFC banner, he’s already earned finishes over the likes of Damon Jackson, Ryan Hall, Jai Herbert, Bryce Mitchell, and of course, Alexander Volkanovksi.
Ilia Topuria vows to be the first man to KO Max Holloway
Surprisingly, Topuria and Holloway have not yet crossed paths. In his dozen-year-long career with the UFC, ‘Blessed’ has faced practically everyone who’s run through 145, including Conor McGregor, Clay Collard, Cub Swanson, Charles Oliveira, Jeremy Stephens, Anthony Pettis, Jose Aldo, Brian Ortega, Frankie Edgar, Calvin Kattar, Yair Rodriguez, The Korean Zombie, and the aforementioned Volkanovski.
Perhaps even more impressive than his resume is the fact that despite fighting a murderer’s row of featherweight talent, Max Holloway has never once been KO’d in his career.
That’s something Topuria plans to change in their impending clash.
“There is always the first time [for a knockout],” Topuria told Sportskeeda. “This is going to be the first time that someone is going to knock him (Holloway) out, and I’m the one who’s gonna do that. I see the first time we’re gonna start to exchange the hands, I’m gonna take his lights out, for sure. I know that. I just need one clear punch and I have the power to put him to sleep.”
