While Ilia Topuria might very well be the next big thing at 145 pounds, Max Holloway has been there before.
The former featherweight king has faced the best the sport has to offer over the course of an Ultimate Fighting Championship tenure that began in 2012. While “Blessed” can see some parallels betwen his and Topuria’s rise to the top, at this point in his career, the mind games that accompany pre-fight promotion don’t have much of an effect on the 32-year-old Hawaiian.
Holloway will square off against Topuria in the UFC 308 main event on Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.