UFC Featherweight champion Ilia Topuria is very comfortable as a man with a championship belt and as a needle-mover.
Topuria was present at the T-Mobile Arena to watch Max Holloway’s buzzer-beater KO win over Justin Gaethje to secure the BMF title and one of the most iconic moments in UFC history.
Despite the viral nature of the finish and almost universal praise, Topuria looked unimpressed by Holloway’s performance. Holloway called Topuria out during the post-fight interview.
While Holloway’s big win over Gaethje came at lightweight, there was immediate buzz surrounding his potential return to featherweight to challenge Topuria for the title.
Before Holloway’s KO of Gaethje, he referred to Topuria as “questionable” when asked about a potential fight with the featherweight champion.
After a bit of back and forth between the two, Topuria fired back on social media with this savagely eloquent ultimatum surrounding a potential featherweight fight.
It reads:
“The only thing questionable about me is whether I finish you by KO or submission. I just beat the guy that beat you not once, not twice, but 3 times. You now have the one thing that keeps you relevant and that would grant you a money fight, the BMF belt. I no longer fight for money but for legacy. Winning that belt while holding my title will cement me as the first. The first to hold both belts. The first to knock out volk and what most certainly will happen when we fight, the first one to put you to sleep. Something to calm you down is this: God doesn’t shame anyone. You will have a worthy defeat against a champion who will be remembered for eternity. I decide who, when, and where. If you don’t like the terms I’m sure [Brian] Ortega will oblige.”
Offering Brian Ortega, a top featherweight, but a fighter Holloway has beaten was the ultimate back-handed close to the post.
On the other hand, it’s excellent news for the UFC to hear a champion like Topuria valuing the BMF title. Holloway deserves credit for further legitimizing the gimmick title with his spectacular victory.
While Topuria indicated that he wasn’t impressed by Holloway’s performance, likening it to a “bar fight” in an interview with Ariel Helwani on the MMA Show, he has now expressed a desire to take it from Holloway.
If there was ever a desire to have the BMF title put over, this Topuria post accomplishes that mission.
One dream scenario for the UFC would be to have Holloway face Topuria in the champion’s adopted home of Spain. Dana White has said that everything needed for an event of that magnitude isn’t in place, so it doesn’t appear as though that would be realistic in 2024.
The two could meet at the Sphere event on Sept. 14 at UFC 306.
Holloway was the featherweight champion for three years from 2016-19. He lost the title at UFC 245 to Alexander Volkanovski. It was the first of three defeats Holloway suffered at the hands of Volkanovski.
Topuria is coming off his stunning second-round KO win over Volkanovski to win the title. Based on history, recent events, and fighter schedules, Topuria-Holloway might be the biggest fight the UFC can make for The Sphere.
