Ilia Topuria just proved his mettle as the UFC featherweight champion. The Spanish-Georgian became the first one to knock out Max Holloway in the UFC, cementing his status as the legitimate 145lbs king in Dana White’s promotion. Meanwhile, an emotional BMF champion opened up on his loss, claiming that he hadn’t expected the kind of power Topuria showed him during the fight.

“We got ready for everything. He just landed a shot and I guess it hurt more than I thought it did,” Max Holloway stated during the Octagon interview. “Hats off to him. No excuses. I felt great, I had a great camp, and no injuries. I went out here, did my thing. He’s just the better man tonight.”

Moreover, Max Holloway claimed that Ilia Topuria gave him a new nickname, which was a kind of prediction for the fight. But ‘Blessed’ is hell-bent on making his way back to the top again and meeting ‘El Matador’ for another clash in the future. “He gave me the name ‘bounce back’, so I will see you again, my friend,” Holloway added.

Max Holloway promised to come back and fight Ilia Topuria again in the future. Displaying his class, ‘El Matador’ also mentioned how good of a fight ‘Blessed’ put in. He even gave a hug to the BMF champion after the announcement of the fight’s result. Let’s see what the undisputed featherweight champion had to say.

Ilia Topuria speaks on beating “legend” Max Holloway

Max Holloway has been a UFC stalwart for a dozen years and rightfully so, Ilia Topuria gave him his props. ‘El Matador’ wasn’t shy of mentioning that it was indeed one of the biggest fights of his career, given that Holloway is already a sure-shot UFC Hall of Famer. Topuria, in his post-fight interview, claimed that even he couldn’t digest the fact that he was able to get the better of ‘Blessed’, who’s arguably one of the best boxers and standup artists in the entire history of the UFC and had a profound impact on the featherweight champion’s career.

“To be honest, man. I don’t know. To beat a legend like Max Holloway is something that I can’t even believe, you know,” Ilia Topuria told Daniel Cormier. “I just followed his entire career. He inspired me so much in my career. He’s been a great example for the generation.” 

It remains to be seen if these two gladiators ever face each other again in the future. What was your take on the main event of UFC 308? Drop your comments below.