Max Holloway on missing out on UFC Sphere card: "You guys cannot have a Spaniard, who Mexicans got their independence back from, to headline the card"

Max Holloway recently opened up about missing out on competing at the upcoming Noche UFC event at the Sphere in Las Vegas. He noted that he was disappointed but understood why his featherweight title fight against Ilia Topuria wasn't headlining the event.

'Blessed' is believed to be challenging the reigning featherweight champion as the two have gone back-and-forth in recent months, but it won't be taking place at the Sphere. Although the 'BMF' title holder expressed interest in competing at the highly anticipated event, his bout against 'El Matador' will be pushed to a later date.

During his recent stream on KICK, the Hawaiian reacted to the news of his title fight against Topuria not taking place at the Sphere and explained the reasoning behind the promotion's decision. Holloway mentioned that the event being a Mexican Independence Day theme was a determining factor in why the bout isn't headlining. He said:

"This is how I feel right here. This sh*t sucks, bro... Should've been us, brother... [But] It's Mexican Independence Day, guys. You guys cannot have a Spaniard, who Mexicans got their independence back from, to headline the card on Mexican Independence Day, bro, c'mon. I was trying to tell you guys but everybody knew that I was fighting in the Sphere except for me."

Check out Max Holloway's comments below:

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When is Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway being targeted for?

Based on the recent announcement regarding Sean O'Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili headlining Noche UFC at the Sphere, it appears as though Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway could be all but confirmed for UFC 307.

UFC 307 is scheduled to take place at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, and will reportedly feature more than one title fight. A few weeks ago, Ariel Helwani had reported that the featherweight title fight between Topuria and Holloway was being targeted for the main event.

It will be interesting to see whether the featherweight title fight becomes official as it is certainly a bout that fans want to see.

Check out Championship Rounds' post regarding the report of Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway headlining UFC 307 below: