“There’s a reason they didn’t give me Ilia!” Max Holloway SAVAGELY responds to Ilia Topuria fighting for belt at UFC 298

The undefeated Ilia Topuria challenges Alexander Volkanovski for the featherweight title at UFC 298. Former champion Max Holloway previewed a potential matchup with the Spaniard ahead of the fight. As such, Holloway boldly claimed he wouldn’t let Topuria past him to fight for the belt.

During the UFC 300 Q&A session, Max Holloway claimed there was a reason the UFC didn’t match him against Ilia Topuria. He insinuated he would’ve beaten ‘El Matador’ and stopped his run to the title. As such, he asserted the UFC wanted Topuria to fight for the belt and avoided matching against him. Here is what he said:

There’s a reason they didn’t give me Ilia. They wanted him to make it to this fight (against Volkanovski).

Max Holloway (via UFC 300 Q&A)

Earlier, before the UFC booked Ilia Topuria vs. Alexander Volkanovski, the featherweight champion himself implored Ilia Topuria not to fight Max Holloway. Presumably, ‘The Great’ also thought that ‘Blessed’ would have beat the Spaniard, resulting in a lack of new contenders for him. Volkanovski and Hollway had faced three times, with the former getting the better of ‘Blessed‘ every time.

Currently, Alexander Volkanovski headlines UFC 298 against Ilia Topuria in a most anticipated bout. The pre-fight talks and press conferences have only added to the hype of their fight. With Max Holloway joining the party to discredit Topuria, the fans were excited about this fight. As such, UFC 298 goes down this weekend at the Honda Center in California.

Max Holloway predicts Ilia Topuria vs. Alexander Volkanovksi

Max Holloway, one of the top featherweights, predicted the title fight between Alexander Volkanovksi and Ilia Topuria. Despite El Matador’s undefeated and the odds almost even, he backed his three-time opponent ‘The Great’ to win the fight.

At the UFC 300 Q&A session, Holloway praised champion Alexander Volkanovksi and picked him to win the fight in UFC 298. Further, he dismissed the narrative against Volkovski, like coming off a knockout and being old. As such, he called ‘The Great’ would finish Ilia Topuria inside five rounds to defend his title.

While the featherweight title is on the line this weekend, Max Holloway has a business to take care of at lightweight. He will face the BMF champion Justin Gaethje in the historic UFC 300 fight card. As such, ‘Blessed’ looked confident in beating him and aiming the title at two divisions. Currently, he won his two previous fights at featherweight.

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