Fight fans weren’t really excited when they first discovered the lineup for UFC 300. The lack of star names, like Conor McGregor, given that it was a landmark PPV event, didn’t sit well with the fans. But guess what? The event delivered on all grounds, especially because Max Holloway created a moment that shall last forever in the history books of the promotion, which seemed to impress Ilia Topuria a lot.

Ahead of his UFC 308 clash against Max Holloway, ‘El Matador’ revealed that he didn’t feel like he had anything to prove to ‘Blessed’, claiming that he had defeated fighters who’ve beaten Holloway in the past, including Alexander Volkanovski. However, when the BMF champion knocked out Justin Gaethje in dramatic fashion, at 4 minutes 59 seconds of the fifth round, the Spanish Georgian stated that his perception of ‘Blessed’ changed altogether.

“Before that [UFC 300], I was like, ‘He doesn’t deserve the title shot.’ He fought with a guy that I just knocked out in seven minutes. He lost three times [against Alexander Volkanovski]. I don’t have anything to prove with him,” Ilia Topuria told Daniel Cormier on the latter’s YouTube channel. “After his knockout in UFC 300 and how the fight was going, I’m like, we have a clear challenger. he deserves that title fight.”

Ilia Topuria may have verbally trashed Max Holloway, but he did show him respect during the face-off, recognizing the challenge in front of him. But the Spaniard is out here trying to make a statement, and what could be a bigger statement than handing Holloway his first knockout defeat in his entire UFC run? That’s what the reigning 145lbs champion has in mind.

Ilia Topuria promises to knock out Max Holloway

Seven fights, seven wins, and five finishes; that’s been the story of Ilia Topuria’s UFC career so far. Meanwhile, in the illustrious 12-year UFC run of Max Holloway, he has never eaten defeat via knockout. But Topuria claims that things will change this Saturday in Abu Dhabi because he wants to be the first one to do it. Claiming that he’s got more power than Holloway’s former opponents, ‘El Matador stated, “I’m taking him out in the first round,” during the recent weigh-ins.

But if that doesn’t go according to plan, the featherweight champion has another trick up his sleeve – his ground game. While Ilia Topuria has one submission win in the UFC, Max Holloway has one loss via submission. Keeping that in mind, Topuria claimed that he won’t hesitate to go to the ground and and tap Holloway out if the situation demands him to. “I can take the decision to take Max down whenever I want. As soon as I make that decision, I will submit him. As soon as he touches the ground, he will be submitted,” the 27-year-old told veteran combat sports journalist Kevin Iole.

UFC 308 is just around the corner as we’ll finally know who comes out on top in this high-stakes and highly anticipated featherweight championship fight. Drop your predictions in the comments down below.