UFC 308: Etihad Arena; UAE
You can now say he is officially the featherweight champion. It wasn’t as quick of a finish that Ilia Topuria had wanted. However, he managed to do what no one else in the long resume of Max Holloway was able to do. Finish by flat lining the Hawaiian. With referee Marc Goddard stopping the fight at 1:34 of round three, there are now so many options for the champion.
The competitive fight showed just how special of a talent the 27-year old is. And arguably puts him in the fighter of the year conversation. Alex Pereira has no doubt dominated this year, and has become the face of the UFC. But the level of opponent doesn’t match the 2-0, both by knockout wins that Topuria has.
The Spaniard has the power, precision, and technique that many fighters wish they had. And he has yet to really show off his ground game as a black belt. But he’s not totally without question either. Holloway tested his chin, but at least so far he’s not been put on ice skates. So we don’t know how he’d respond to that.
Holloway out slugged him 79-204 to 75-144. But by far the bigger reactions came from Topuria’s striking. How would he handle someone very defensively responsible? Let alone someone that stays away from the fenceline and works the center of the octagon. That fighter would need to have an incredible chin though. This now gives Dana White so many options for his featherweight champion. Especially since he has chirped that he wants to be a three-division champion.
So Many Options For Topuria, Which Way Does He Go
At least in this fight he mixed up the offense, but still has a way to go before thinking about 155, or anything else. He has more of a boxing style than a sniper style. So mixing it up with Islam Makhachev might be fun, yes. But both have divisions to clean out. Although being the bigger fighter it might be a case of big brother suffocating little brother, like he did to Volkanovski.
Alexander Volkanovski wants a rematch, but should get it after at least one win. And like the song by The Delfonics goes “ready or not”, next up should be Diego Lopes. That one on paper at least would be an incredibly high paced fight. And that plays into Topuria’s hands. The Brazilian’s chin might not hold up, but he’s slick on the ground. Lopes doesn’t throw high volume like Holloway, as he’s a bit more selective.
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