Ilia Topuria Promises Most Exciting 10 Seconds in UFC History

By Tim Burke October 16, 2024 13:45

Image Credits: Gary A. Vasquez/USA TODAY

Topuria appeared on the Ariel Helwani show on Tuesday and his interview has dominated MMA headlines.From criticizing Conor McGregor, Belal Muhammad, Islam Makhachev, Umar Nurmagomedov, and Max Holloway, it seems that Ilia Topuria has gone after half of the UFC roster. During his interview, Topuria criticized Holloway for his loss to Conor McGregor back in 2013. McGregor responded on X with the following statement.”

“It’s not a bad shout hahaha but Holloway came back and earned it majorly. Two time fw champion. Attempted double champ. Is current bmf champ. Nah he the real deal. Always was, always is. Holloway is an always was, always is. 1000% He became way better after losing to me. He actually became an all-time great after losing to me.”

McGregor is right. Holloway has gone on to be an all time great in the UFC. He is the reigning BMF champion, a title that shows the respect and admiration the UFC and its fan has for Holloways career. He is a warrior. Still McGregor’s statement did nothing to impress Topuria who believes he is on a different level than Holloway and McGregor.

“100% Max has improved after fighting you. He must have realized that if he wanted to make a living from this, he couldn’t be so bad as to lose to someone like you. Nowadays, he beats you easily. Dustin knocked you out in the rematches, Nate beat you two times, Khabib humiliated you, and Floyd gave you a master class in boxing at 50 years old. Take a seat kid. you’re a fake fighter.” Topuria responded to McGregor’s post on X.

Leading up to this fight, Topuria has illustrated a tremendous amount of confidence. Stated he will beat lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, criticizing welterweight champion Belal Muhammad dismissing the achievements of Conor McGregor and stating he will be the first fighter to knock out Max Holloway.

“First 10 seconds I’m going to point to the middle of the octagon and I will stay there. I want give the best and most exciting ten seconds in UFC history to the fans. They deserve it.” Topuria stated on the Ariel Helwani show.

If Topuria stands by his statement, it shows how confident he is that he possesses more power than Max Holloway, and the two fighters are on different levels. Considering Topuria knocked out Alexander Volkanovski who defeated Holloway three times.

Still, Max Holloway is not deterred. When discussing his favorite moment at UFC 300, Holloway states it was the knockout it was Topuria’s reaction.

“My favorite clip is of Ilia Topuria looking lost like he doesn't know where he was. He didn't even know if he was in the human dimension." Holloway stated on UFC embedded.

The lead-up to this fight has been fantastic. The MMA world is anticipation. This is a legacy-defining fight for fan favorite Max Holloway. It is also a fight where Ilia Topuria could become the face of the UFC promotion.

With so much at stake, will Topuria back up his claims and point to the center of the octagon and trade? Or does he respect Max more than he claims? October 26th we will find out.