Ilia Topuria has fired off another salvo at Max Holloway. The two men have been involved in a back-and-forth on social media and interviews that shows no signs of slowing down. After his spectacular victory in his BMF title fight against Justin Gaethje at UFC 300, Holloway revealed that his ultimate goal was always a shot at Topuria. He stated in an interview with Jim Rome, “That was always my main goal. My main goal was always fighting Ilia…”

But according to ‘El Matador’ the only way Holloway gets a shot at the 145 lbs title is if he puts up his BMF belt on the line. While many experts and fans have called for Alexander Volkanovski to get an immediate rematch against Topuria, it was recently revealed by Joe Rogan: “But I guess he feels like he’s (Topuria) the champ, he can call the shots. I know that he turned down the Perth one — [UFC] 305, the Volkanovski rematch.” As such, Holloway, with his historic finish of Gaethje at UFC 300, seemed like the next logical choice for many.

However, in a recent interview, Ilia Topuria stated, “You (Max) are the BMF champion, you have the opportunity for the title, to fight for the title. What are you going to do? Are you going to fight or are you not going to fight? And he says, ‘sign the contract’, this, that, such and such. Where are you? Where are you? Put the belt in the game. What I said was how I’m not going to fight him if he doesn’t put the BMF belt on the line.”

His statements add an interesting layer to the ongoing saga as there has never been a title fight in the UFC between a BMF title holder and an undisputed champion. But for many fans, Topuria’s condition for Holloway doesn’t make a lot of sense, and they took to the comments to slam him for his demands. Here’s a look at what the fans had to say!

Ilia Topuria finds himself on the wrong side of fan opinion

Fans pointed out that the matchmaking choices aren’t in the hands of the fighters

You don’t make the choices buddy

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Others highlighted the fact that Topuria is a fresh champion and as such, doesn’t have the sway to influence matchmaking decisions or to pick and choose his next opponent

Dude has no pull wtf is he talking about

The same sentiment was also echoed by other fans who pointed out that while Ilia Topuria might get unwarranted hate for beating a beloved champion like Volkanovski, ultimately, CEO Dana White is the one who gets to decide the next fight and not him

I like Ilia and sometimes I do think he gets hate for beating a fan favorite in Volk. But I think he needs to be reminded that ultimately Dana chooses the fight for him. And idk any fighter who’s gonna willingly deny Dana no matter if the BMF belt is on the line or not

Fans also pointed out that the BMF title shot is usually awarded to fighters who have a history in the promotion with names like Nate Diaz, Jorge Masvidal, and Dustin Poirier all having resumes that support their BMF fights

He hasn’t earned that belt tho. Legends fight for that belt and you ain’t no legend yet

The possibility of Brian Ortega getting a title shot also didn’t sit well with the fans as he currently only has one recent victory against Yair Rodriguez and has already lost in a title shot to Alexander Volkanovski in 2021.

How tf does Brian Ortega earn a title shot bro, someone take this man’s belt Dana will make you do what he wants

Many fans even called out Topuria for a lack of ‘BMF’ points as they claimed that you only get a shot at the ‘BMF’ belt by putting in worthy performances inside the Octagon 

You gotta be a BMF to be eligible to win the BMF belt.

In conclusion, as the discussion unfolds, it’s clear that the clash between Topuria, Holloway, and potential contenders for the featherweight title has divided opinions within the MMA community. Whether Ilia Topuria’s demand for the BMF belt for a clash against Max Holloway will be met remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: the drama surrounding the featherweight division shows no signs of slowing down!