Ilia Topuria takes lighthearted dig at Max Holloway flaunting his striking abilities

Ilia Topuria has taken yet another dig at Max Holloway, this time commenting on a video that 'Blessed' had shared on his social media.

'El Matador' will defend his featherweight title for the first time when he faces Holloway later this year. The pair are set to headline UFC 308 on Oct. 26 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

Topuria will head into the fight full of confidence, having won the 145-pound strap from Alexander Volanovski back in February. Not only did the Georgian-Spaniard win the title by knocking out 'The Great' in the second round, he earned a performance bonus for his efforts and extended his undefeated record to 15-0.

For Holloway, the Hawaiian native is in the form of his career, picking up three consecutive wins since April 2023. Most recently, the 32-year-old earned himself the symbolic BMF title with his stunning performance and final second knockout against Justin Gaethje at UFC 300.

Ahead of their bout later this year, Topuria has regularly taken it upon himself to try and build some bad blood between himself and Holloway. At almost every opportunity, the 27-year-old has made bold claims or digs at the expense of his opponent, with his most recent jibe taking place on Instagram.

Holloway uploaded a compilation video of his striking whilst in his fight camp. Topuria was then spotted in the comments, leaving a sarcastic remark in the hopes of getting into Holloway's head. He wrote:

"Let’s go Max"

Check out Topuria's comment and Holloway's video here:

Ilia Topuria's comment

---

Alexander Volkanovski explains why he's decided to wait for Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway winner

Alexander Volkanovski has outlined his intentions for recapturing the featherweight title. According to 'The Great', while he could have taken a tune-up fight, he's more than happy to wait for the winner between Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway.

After losing the belt to Topuria in February, Volkanovski expressed interest in an immediate rematch. Whilst the UFC was keen on the idea, given Volkanovski's dominant reign as the champ, the promotion has instead booked Topuria vs. Holloway.

Speaking in a recent interview with Sky Sports New Zealand, Volkanovski weighed in on the situation, stating that it's played out how he would have liked as he's not bothered about waiting for his shot at the gold. He said:

"I could have maybe done a lightweight fight, I think there’s a lot of exciting fights there, but the UFC aren’t big fans of floating. Look, you want to go to lightweight, you’re going to have to probably stay there, that’s the only thing, and then I might lose that featherweight title shot. So I might just have to wait. It’s only a couple of months, I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

Check out Volkanovski's comments here, courtesy of Championship Rounds on X: