Ilia Topuria, the undefeated UFC featherweight champion, is set to defend his title against BMF champ Max Holloway at UFC 308, where he provocatively posed with two belts despite only his featherweight title being on the line.
UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria feels like he’s already the BMF titleholder too.
Topuria is set to defend his title for the first time against BMF champ Max Holloway. The main event of UFC 308 on Oct. 26 in Abu Dhabi is one of the year’s most anticipated bouts. While Topuria’s belt is on the line, it seems it’ll be the only title at stake. So, Topuria sent a playful jab towards Holloway, posing with two belts — including a BMF championship belt — and flashing a big smile.
Topuria clinched featherweight gold with a brutal knockout of longtime champ Alexander Volkanovski in UFC 298‘s main event last February. “El Matador” boasts a perfect record, 15-0 as a pro, including a 7-0 start in his UFC journey.
Holloway, a former champion, aims to reclaim the title he lost to Volkanovski at UFC 245 in December 2019. He lost their rematch via split decision eight months later at UFC 251. Since then, “Blessed” is 5-1 in the octagon, with another loss to Volkanovski at UFC 276 in July 2022. However, he won the BMF title with a knockout of Justin Gaethje at lightweight at UFC 300 in April.