"He’s struggling a lot” - Ilia Topuria reflects on “nervous” Max Holloway during final face-off and reveals what he told ‘Blessed’

Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway will go to war in the main event of UFC 308 on Oct. 26 in arguably the most anticipated MMA fight of 2024. The pair will do battle for the featherweight title, with Topuria eager to defend his belt for the first time, whilst 'Blessed' will hope to reclaim the title he once held.

On Oct. 25, they shared their final face-offs during the ceremonial weigh-ins, where 'El Matador' could be seen talking to his opponent at length, drawing no response from the Hawaiian.

The 145-pound king then appeared in front of the media backstage following the weigh-ins, and shared the words he had said to 'Blessed'. The 27-year old also noted that Holloway seemed to be feeling the pressure of the moment, as he said:

"I told him that I'm the best fighter in the world, that I have worked my a*s off and the victory is gonna be my only option tomorrow night. That's the conversation I had with him, I didn't get any answer from his side. He seems to be very. very nervous. He's struggling a lot."

He continued:

"I don't want him to compare me with anyone he's faced in the past. I'm different. He called himself a problem solver, but tomorrow night he's gonna have a problem in front of him called 'El Matador'. He calls himself a bull, and we all know what the matador does with the bull."

Check out Ilia Topuria's comments below:

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Ilia Topuria doubles down on why he will be the first to KO Max Holloway

Ahead of UFC 308, Ilia Topuria has adamantly stated that he will be the first person to knock Max Holloway out.

With the Hawaiian regarded as having one of the best chins in MMA history, there has been some skepticism about the likelihood of Topuria's prediction coming true.

However, 'El Matador' proved many doubters wrong when he defeated Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298, and he could certainly do it again on Oct. 26.

During a recent episode of the UFC's Embedded Series, a fight week vlog, the Spaniard explained his confidence about knocking 'Blessed' out.

He said:

"I bring a completely different style. I bring the evolution of mixed martial arts, I'm a different type of fighter. You know, I've improved everywhere in the game. I have everything to be the first one to knock [Holloway] out and it's going to happen...I don't have any doubts about that." [2:00-2:20]

Check out Ilia Topuria's comments below: