Ilia Topuria shocked the world by knocking out Alexander Volkanovski for the UFC featherweight title at UFC 298. Rumors suggest that his first title defense will be against Max Holloway.
Although Holloway has lost thrice to Volkanovski, his brand is at an all-time high after his last-second KO win over lightweight Justin Gaethje at UFC 300. He looked flawless in the Octagon that night, and even called out Topuria following the victory.
Here’s how a fight between Topuria and Holloway could go down according to other UFC fighters like Renato Moicano and Gilbert Burns…
Renato Moicano & Gilbert Burns Discuss Whether Ilia Topuria Has The Tools To Beat Max Holloway
Moicano and Burns discussed Topuria vs. Holloway on the Show Me The Money podcast on YouTube recently. The former UFC welterweight title challenger looked back at the events he’s shared with “Blessed” and appreciated the latter’s hard work and skillset.
Burns remembered watching Holloway grapple against elite wrestlers ahead of his fight against “The Korean Zombie” at UFC Singapore. He was amazed by the featherweight’s well-roundedness, strength, and physique.
“He was there, for like a month. oh guys, a high super strong dude. He looks like a 55er, he’s small, but he’s big, he’s very strong dude. I saw him wrestle the good wrestlers, he grappling. Both guys got cardio, both guys got good grappling, they super high level so I gotta, gotta kind of study that fight before.”
“Durinho” isn’t overlooking Topuria though. He acknowledged that the UFC featherweight kingpin is technically gifted too and has the cardio to match Holloway’s pace.
“What’s he gonna do to Max Holloway, let’s be honest. Max Holloway, he’s this crazy, he’s just a little bit old.”
Moicano, on the other hand, isn’t riding on the Topuria hype train. He thinks that “El Matador” cannot harm the former champ on the feet or the ground. The lightweight contender admitted that he picked Volkanovski to beat Topuria too, but he is still not confident about the champ’s ability to get past “Blessed”.
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