Back to the MMA Newsfeed

Ilia Topuria Claims Max Holloway Initially Wanted to Avoid Fighting Him

Related Topics: Ilia Topuria, Max Holloway

The tension is rising as Ilia Topuria (15-0) and Max Holloway (26-7) near their featherweight title clash.

Holloway will challenge Topuria in the main event at UFC 308 on Oct. 26 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Topuria recently accused Holloway of trying to avoid fighting him in the beginning.

Holloway initially claimed that he called for a title shot against Topuria. However, Topuria refutes that claim, saying a challenger doesn’t get to call his shots anyway. Holloway earned his claim to title contention with a BMF title win over Justin Gaethje at lightweight this past April.