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Former UFC featherweight world champion and current BMF titleholder Max Holloway is throwing some verbal jabs at his division's reigning king, Ilia Topuria. Holloway vs. Topuria for the UFC featherweight throne is just about to be a done deal after the former's heart-stopping performance at UFC 300 last April. And yet, the UFC hasn't announced an official date for the world title fight.
In an interview with Spanish sports publication Marca, Topuria was asked why hasn't there been an official fight announcement yet. To this, the UFC featherweight champ replied, saying:
"It's not because of me. They [The UFC] called me to say that Max Holloway was having family issues, that he was having trouble cutting weight, and that he wanted to fight in a higher weight class. Honestly, I don't know. I have no idea. (translated from Spanish)"
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Here's a clip of the statement by Topuria as posted by ESPN MMA on X:
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To this, Holloway replied using a well-known meme, with the caption:
"Guy is just making things up at this stage, I been ready."
Ilia Topuria prefers to fight in Abu Dhabi or Spain, claims Max Holloway to be the cause of fight announcement delay
To understand further what warranted the sort of reply Max Holloway had to what Ilia Topuria said in his Marca interview, you should also learn what the champ said in another interview with ESPN reporter Carlos Legaspi.
In the Legaspi interview, 'El Matador' initially revealed his thoughts on the delay, and also some insight on where he wants to fight next, saying:
"I'm aiming for Abu Dhabi, I hope someone steps in. I prefer to fight prime time in Spain...You should ask [Max] Holloway. First he said he needed time to make weight, then that he had family stuff to attend. There are many names that say they want to fight me in public so I hope someone can back up their words. This is what I do, I'm a fighter"
Here's a tweet posted by Championship Rounds on what Topuria told Legaspi:
