Max Holloway has vowed to bounce back from his UFC 308 featherweight title clash with Ilia Topuria. The former champion, of course, suffered the first and most devastating knockout loss of his career at the hands of the reigning 145-pound champ, which had concerned some of his fans.

But the Hawaii native seems undisturbed by this setback and seems determined to make his way up to the top once again and try regaining his old title. This is more than likely given that ‘Blessed’ is only 32 at the moment and has bounced back strongly from every setback he has had in his mixed martial arts career so far.

Moreover, Holloway looked rabid at 155lbs in his previous outing at the historic UFC 300 where he slept Justin Gaethje in the dying seconds of the final round. With 30 promotional bouts, ‘Blessed’ definitely has the experience factor on his side and would want to make the best possible decision for his career moving forward. Not one to talk too much trash or aggrandize himself, the BMF champion took to X to send a brief but fateful message to his fans. “We not done yet 🫡,” Holloway wrote.

Holloway, of course, is one of the greatest 145fers the sport has ever seen. That, of course, is why Topuria’s win means so much and why the Spanish-Georgian powerhouse is being panned as 2024 Fighter of the Year over previous front-runner Alex Pereira. After all, ‘EL-Matador’ has beaten arguably two of the greatest featherweights ever in the same calendar year. But what is next for Topuria?

Is a move to 155lbs warranted for Topuria?

Ilia Topuria had said before UFC 308 that he wanted to move up and fight 155-pound king Islam Makhachev for the lightweight gold. And while there is no word on what the UFC thinks of that as of yet, there is no shortage of contenders at featherweight, either. After knocking out Holloway, Topuria would have a very friendly face-off with former champ Alexander Volkanovski, whom he had knocked out to become the champ at UFC 298. ‘El Matador’ would say in his post-fight octagon interview that if anyone deserves to fight him next, it is ‘Volk’ because of everything he has done in the sport.

And that perhaps means that Topuria-Volkanovski 2 is next for the champ, if the UFC agrees, that is. On the other hand, there is also #3 ranked Diego Lopes, who has set the UFC world on fire in his brief albeit exciting run in the UFC. Ultimately, Dana White holds the final say on who Topuria fights next, but since he is the champion, he will also have a significant say in the matter. And if that is the case, it seems it will either be Volkanovski or a double-champ title opportunity against Islam Makhachev.

What do you think about Max Holloway’s defiant tweet after his UFC 308 loss to Topuria? Can he bounce back? Let us know in the comment section below!