"Max don't want that smoke" - Fans react as Ilia Topuria bemoans opponent and date for first title defense still being unclear

Fans recently reacted after Ilia Topuria outlined a timeline for when he would like to make his first UFC featherweight title defense. He noted that he has an ideal location, but is waiting on a top contender to answer the call and agree to fight him.

'El Matador' has become a massive star for the promotion since his knockout win over Alexander Volkanovski, with the UFC even targeting a massive event in Spain in the future. Championship Rounds posted a quote from Topuria's recent interview with ESPN Deportes' Carlos Contreras Legaspi, where he claimed that 'BMF' title holder Max Holloway has been reluctant to accept a bout.

Fans weighed in and shared their thoughts on 'El Matador' featherweight title defense remaining unclear at the moment. Some fans mentioned that there could be a reason why Holloway hasn't accepted the fight, while others claimed that Topuria is misleading fans. Fans wrote:

"Max don't want that smoke"

"Max was waiting for the Conor Chandler fight and now he doesn't know what to do"

"This guy is a professional capper. He also said he had a date locked in for Spain. He's fighting Max at 306 or 307"

Check out the fan reaction tweets regarding Ilia Topuria's comments:

Fan reaction tweets regarding Topuria's comments [Image courtesy: ChampRDS - X]

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What did Ilia Topuria say about his first UFC featherweight defense?

Ilia Topuria was dismissive of Max Holloway's confidence in their potential bout as he claimed that there was uncertainty surrounding his first UFC featherweight title defense.

During the aforementioned interview, Topuria made a surprising comment as he mentioned that he was aiming for a return at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi and took a jibe at the 'BMF' title holder. He said:

"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"

Check out Ilia Topuria's comments below:

Topuria's comments about his UFC featherweight title defense [Image courtesy: ChampRDS - X]