Ilia Topuria gives definitive "masterpiece" prediction for Max Holloway fight, claims it'll be "much easier" than Alexander Volkanovski

UFC featherweight king Ilia Topuria has made a bold prediction regarding his upcoming fight against fan-favorite Max Holloway. 'El Matador' recently sat down for a conversation with Mike Bohn of MMA Junkie.

During the interview, Topuria spoke about his upcoming opponent. The 27-year-old started by sharing kind words for Holloway. The Spaniard then proceeded to boldly predict that he would knock 'Blessed' out in the opening round of the fight.

Topuria added that he believes Holloway would be an easier opponent than Alexander Volkanovski, who defeated the Hawaiian on three different occasions in the UFC.

Here's what 'El Matador' had to say:

"I respect Max Holloway. He's been a great fighter. He gave us great fights. He seems to be a good person. I respect him but I don't know, I feel I'm way better than him everywhere, simple like that. It's gonna be a complete masterpiece, you will see. I will knock him out in the first round. There's no doubt about that. It's gonna be much easier than with Volkanovski because I consider that Volkanovski was like a way difficult matchup for me and he proved it. He beat [Holloway] three times."

Check out Ilia Topuria's comments below (1:45):

Topuria and Holloway will lock horns in the main event of UFC 308. The event will be held on Oct. 26 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

'El Matador' is currently undefeated with an impressive 15-0 record. Holloway, on the other hand, is currently on a three-fight win streak and scored one of the most memorable KOs in UFC history against Justin Gaethje at UFC 300.

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What happened in the fight between Ilia Topuria and Alexander Volkanovski?

Ilia Topuria locked horns with Alexander Volkanovski for the featherweight throne at UFC 298 in Feb. 2024. The event took place at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.

'El Matador' pulled off the biggest victory of his career as he defeated the Australian via a brutal second-round knockout to capture the featherweight strap.

With the victory, Topuria became the first fighter to defeat Volkanovski at featherweight.