Despite Ilia Topuria‘s knockout of Max Holloway at UFC 308, which secured him the featherweight championship, he did not officially claim the “BMF” title as it was not on the line, although he paraded with two titles post-fight, leading to confusion and discussion about the legitimacy of his claim.
Max Holloway was the “BMF” champion. Ilia Topuria knocked him out. So, does that make Topuria the new BMF champ? Well, not quite.
Topuria’s knockout of Holloway at UFC 308 only earned him the featherweight title. Holloway snagged the BMF belt with a fifth-round KO of Justin Gaethje back in April. But Dana White never mentioned that Holloway’s BMF title was up for grabs this time. Post-fight, White confirmed Holloway still holds the BMF title despite the loss.
Yet, that didn’t stop Topuria from flaunting two belts after his win over Holloway. At the post-fight press conference, “Blessed” was asked about this belt parade.
“Imagine [lightweight champion] Islam [Makhachev] strutting around with two belts after knocking out [featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski],” Holloway mused. “Different weight class, different reason. Fans could push for it, but Dana’s the boss man.”
Topuria himself questioned why the BMF belt wasn’t contested. “Why wasn’t it on the line?” he wondered aloud. “It should’ve been since day one, but I’ll make it official myself.”
“It might be odd for them to promote him as a BMF,” he added, unfazed. “No worries though. I’m keeping it at home… I’m now the baddest motherf*cker world champion.”
Before facing Holloway, Topuria hinted at challenging champions in multiple divisions—eyeing welterweight champ Belal Muhammad and lightweight champ Islam Makhachev.
When asked if Topuria might face Islam next, Holloway had his doubts. He noted there are still plenty of contenders for Topuria at 145 pounds.
“I don’t know,” said Holloway. “Dana mentioned Ilia’s got many contenders here. Situations vary based on fighters’ workloads. If he gets it, cool, but maybe not. Volk and Diego [Lopes] are pressing hard right now.”
Evaluating a potential matchup against Islam, Holloway admitted: “It’s tough going against Islam. His style is tricky—loves wrestling and striking now—tough to beat.”