Max Holloway has said the fact Ilia Topuria has a victory over Alexander Volkanovski while he has three defeats to the Australian will have no bearing on their fight when they headline UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi next month.
Topuria ended the four-year reign of featherweight champion Volkanovski last October, rendering him unconscious in two rounds to win a UFC title in only his 15th pro bout.
Volkanovski took that fight after suffering back-to-back defeats to lightweight champion and pound-for-pound king Islam Makhachev, the second on just 11 days notice at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi last October.
American Holloway had three cracks at Volkanovski from 2019 to 2022 – the second of which took place in Abu Dhabi – taking him the distance in each contest but ultimately losing all by decision. Holloway (26-7) fights in Abu Dhabi for the third time having also previously fought Calvin Kattar in 2021.
The Georgian-Spaniard will look to extend his unbeaten run against former 145-pound champion Holloway when they meet at the Etihad Arena on Yas Island on October 26, but the American says their respective records against Volkanovski will have no bearing on the outcome.
“Bro, I’d be lying to you if I said he wasn’t good. He beat a guy that I had three cracks at and couldn’t figure out. He went in there one time [and won]," Holloway said in an interview aired on ESPN.
“A lot of guys are going to say, ‘That was a hurt [Volkanoski],’ and I understand, but Volk felt like he was good enough to go in there, and Ilia did what he did. He still had to do what he do."
No 2-contender Holloway rides a three-fight win streak since losing to Volkanovski for a third time in July 2022, beating Arnold Allen and the 'Korean Zombie' Jung Chan-sung before recording a spectacular knockout of Justin Gaethje in the final second to claim the BMF title in April.
The Hawaiian native wracked up wins over the likes of Charles Oliveira, Jeremy Stephens and Anthony Pettis on his way to winning the UFC featherweight title in 2017 when he beat legendary Brazilian Jose Aldo, going on to defend the title three times before losing to Volkanovski in their first meeting in 2019.
“Even when we talk about the road to the title, if we compare our records of his road to the title and my road to the title with strengths of opponents and stuff, like how strong or whatever rank it is, it is what it is. People are gonna say, ‘He had an easier path’, but he still had to win and he still did it, he still won, he still is the champion.
“He is a great fighter. You’d be dumb to not think that he is. He’s got power, he’s got speed, but he never fought me yet. That’s the beautiful thing.
“He thinks he knows something. I see him say he’s going to be the first one to, ‘put me out’ and blah, blah.
“If that’s what you need to get yourself to the fight, please keep telling yourself that all the way to October 26. When we get in the octagon, and that cage closes, we get to find out. All this he said, she said stuff, is going to go out the window. We get to find out who’s going to be the champion after that night.”
Zayed Sustainability Prize
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A High Court judge issued an interim order on Friday suspending a decision by Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots to direct a stop to Brexit agri-food checks at Northern Ireland ports.
Mr Justice Colton said he was making the temporary direction until a judicial review of the minister's unilateral action this week to order a halt to port checks that are required under the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Civil servants have yet to implement the instruction, pending legal clarity on their obligations, and checks are continuing.
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