Max Holloway predicts Alexander Volkanovski will retain his featherweight champion title at UFC 298 and believes the UFC did Ilia Topuria a favor by giving him a championship opportunity.
Max Holloway’s got a prediction. He’s betting on his old rival, Alexander Volkanovski, to retain the featherweight champion title at UFC 298. Holloway’s also got an interesting take on Ilia Topuria’s situation.
Topuria, the undefeated challenger, is seen by Holloway as being given a favor by the UFC. The former 145-pound champ, Holloway, lost his title to Volkanovski back in 2019 at UFC 245. Now, he’s set to face Justin Gaethje in a lightweight bout for the “BMF” title at UFC 300.
Topuria? He earned his shot after defeating Josh Emmett at UFC Jacksonville. Fans and pundits were clamoring for a Holloway vs. Topuria showdown. But, the UFC had other plans. They catapulted Topuria straight to a championship opportunity. Holloway sees this as a lucky break for the Spaniard.
“There’s a reason they didn’t give me Ilia,” Holloway said at Friday’s UFC 300 Fan Q&A in Anaheim. “They wanted [Topuria] to make it to this fight.”
The main event? Volkanovski vs. Topuria. It’s the climax of Saturday’s pay-per-view card at the Honda Center. Expectations are sky-high.
Holloway’s shared the octagon with Volkanovski for a whopping 75 minutes. Despite going 0-3 against his biggest competitive rival, he’s backing the champion for title defense No. 6.
“Volk [is my pick],” Holloway said. “Volk is hearing [the] chatter, Volk’s last fight and getting finished, and whatever, he’s hearing the old man talk. The guy has really got the dog in him. You guys will find that out [on Saturday].
His prediction? “I think he finishes Ilia before five [rounds].”