Josh Thomson and “Big” John McCarthy recently predicted that Max Holloway could defeat Ilia Topuria at UFC 308, provided “Blessed” keeps the fight focused solely on striking.
Topuria is poised to defend his featherweight title for the first time against Holloway in the main event of a highly anticipated pay-per-view showdown scheduled for October 26 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
“El Matador” captured the 145-pound championship this past February, becoming the first UFC champion from Spain by knocking out Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298. Undefeated in the Octagon with a 7-0 record, he boasts five finishes, including impressive victories over Bryce Mitchell and Josh Emmett.
Meanwhile, Holloway is set for his third attempt to reclaim the featherweight title, which he lost to Volkanovski in December 2019, followed by two unsuccessful rematches. “Blessed” has since bounced back with three consecutive impressive victories, the latest being a dramatic last-second knockout of Justin Gaethje in a lightweight bout, earning him the BMF title at the landmark UFC 300 in April.
Thomson and McCarthy contend that despite Topuria’s formidable prowess, he will encounter significant difficulty in connecting his strikes against Holloway…
Thomson Sees Holloway As ‘Stylistically’ Challenging Opponent For Topuria
During a recent episode of the WEIGHING IN podcast, Thomson previewed the highly anticipated matchup between Topuria and Holloway. The former UFC lightweight fighter lauded “El Matador” for his exceptional striking abilities but pointed out that he will face significant challenges in chasing down the BMF titleholder and finding the right angles to land his shots.
“Max on the feet, what we saw with him against Justin Gaethje, he can handle the power, he can handle the movement, he can handle the aggressiveness,” Thomson said. “Topuria is going to stalk after him, he’s just going, and Max Holloway is going to be on his bike, sticking and moving, using that long-range jab right in his face… My point is that when Topuria is gonna start stalking after him, he’s gonna start taking those jabs in the opening rounds.”
“The Punk” added that although Topuria might be relentlessly pursuing the Hawaiian, he is likely to absorb some significant punishment in the process, which could prove decisive.
“He’s going to be reaching and lunging to get in on Max Holloway, and that’s going to be his downfall. He’s got fight IQ and knows how to use his movement, how to put his combinations together, and how to threaten the body as well as the head. He throws everything at you, including the kitchen sink, and it lands. He’s accurate with his strikes, with no wasted movements. He knows what he’s doing. Topuria, right now, I think is a fantastic fighter; I just think stylistically this is a bad matchup for him.”
