While Ilia
Topuria might very well be the next big thing at 145 pounds,
Max
Holloway has been there before.
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The former featherweight king has faced the best the sport has to
offer over the course of an
Ultimate Fighting Championship tenure that began in 2012. While
“Blessed” can see some parallels betwen his and Topuria’s rise to
the top, at this point in his career, the mind games that accompany
pre-fight promotion don’t have much of an effect on the 32-year-old
Hawaiian.
Holloway will square off against Topuria in the UFC 308
main event on Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The main card
airs on pay-per-view via ESPN+ at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. ET, while
prelims begin on ESPN+ at 10 a.m. ET/7 a.m. PT.
“I got my first belt against former champions…Your idols become
your rivals. Ilia said he’s a big fan. So I guess he did what I
did, and I respect that,” Holloway said in an interview with
UFC.com. “At the end of the day, all these mental
games, and whatever he’s saying and whatever he’s trying to do, I’m
not the one you’ve got to try that with. It’s strictly business for
me. We get to fight. You can talk anything you like. [On Saturday],
I get to punch you without getting arrested. It’s going to be a
good night.”
Topuria vs. Holloway Saturday at 2 PM ET on ESPN+. Order
Now!
Topuria has emerged as an extremely confident champion, which is
only enhanced by his 15-0 record. His championship reign began with
a second-round knockout victory over Alexander
Volkanovski at UFC 298 this past February. Holloway, meanwhile,
is 0-3 against Volkanovski and has lost seven times over the course
of his career. While Topuria might focus on the setbacks his
opponent has suffered, Holloway believes being battle tested is
invaluable. According to the BMF champ, records don’t matter on
fight night.
“If that’s what he needs for himself, feel indestructible. I go
into every fight 0-0. He’s bringing up [how] I lost seven times.
Cool story, bro,” Holloway said. “.. In this sport, losing is very
huge. I understand that. Some of the greatest guys in every other
sport have a bunch of losses. What is LeBron James’ finals record?…
I think he’s lost more than he won.
“Losses are only losses if you don’t learn. I learned every single
damn time after every one. I just can’t wait to go in there and see
what he’s about. He talks a big game and we get to find out [at UFC
308] how big it is.