Max Holloway rips 'super questionable' Ilia Topuria after Spanish star DEMANDS BMF belt must be on the line if he accepts showdown with 'Blessed' following iconic UFC 300 knockout

Max Holloway has claimed Ilia Topuria is ‘super questionable’ and hit out at the Spaniard’s demands over a fight.

Topuria holds the featherweight title, a belt Holloway wants back having just demolished Justin Gaethje with an iconic KO for the BMF belt at UFC 300.

Now Topuria is insisting the BMF accolade will be on the line if he is to grant ‘Blessed’ a shot at him in his first title defence.

He posted a lengthy message on X, attempting to put Holloway in his place, writing: ‘The only thing questionable about me is whether I finish you by KO or submission.

‘I just beat the guy that beat you not once, not twice, but three times. You now have the one thing that keeps you relevant and that would grant you a money fight, the BMF belt. I no longer fight for money but for legacy.

Max Holloway knocked out Justin Gaethje to win the BMF title at UFC 300

UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria has had a meteoric rise throughout the company

‘Winning that belt while holding my title will cement me as the first. The first to hold both belts. The first to knock out Volk and what most certainly will happen when we fight, the first one to put you to sleep. Something to calm you down is this: God doesn’t shame anyone.

‘You will have a worthy defeat against a champion who will be remembered for eternity. I decide who, when, and where. If you don’t like the terms I’m sure Ortega will oblige.’

When asked about Topuria’s statement, Holloway told Jim Rome: ‘That’s not a very ‘BMF’ way to say it. A ‘BMF’ wouldn’t say, ‘I’m not going to fight this guy unless…’ That’s kind of un-‘BMF.’ Doesn’t sound ‘BMF’ the way he’s trying to demand it and saying, ‘I’m not going to fight.’

‘A ‘BMF’ fights whatever, fights whoever, whenever, any weight, any time, and that’s not a tone of a ‘BMF.’

‘That was always my main goal. My main goal was always fighting Ilia,’ Holloway added. This was a fun fight. Shout out to Justin Gaethje. Justin Gaethje’s a legend, ‘The Highlight,’ he had everything to lose. He gave me the shot and this happened. But in my mind it was always, no matter what, win, lose, whatever it is, even until today, I wanted to fight Ilia.

‘People always ask me, ‘What are your thoughts on Ilia?’ The only thing that comes to my mind is it’s questionable. The dude is super questionable. Every other 145 contender that they wanted to fight [Alexander Volkanovski], they went through me.

‘They fought me or they had to fight me. That’s one guy that eluded me. I don’t know how, I don’t know why, but he did and he got the title shot.

‘He beat a guy I couldn’t figure out’, Holloway said of Topuria’s win over Volkanovski. ‘He fought the guy once, I fought the guy three times, and I saw him say that slick stuff took him nine minutes for what took me 90 minutes and I couldn’t do it. Something crazy like that.

Gaethje hit the ground in the final round after a right overhand by Holloway at UFC 300

‘That’s funny. Last time I checked, when I was your age, I already had title defences, buddy. So it looks like you’ve still got some catching up to do.’

Despite his desire to fight Topuria next, Holloway warned that he has plenty of irons in the fire and could easily challenge elsewhere.

He continued: ‘There’s options. Especially in this sport, it’s always great to have options,’ Holloway said. ‘I’m ranked at a higher weight class now. I’ve got my weight class at [145] sitting right there, knocking on the door. Conor’s coming back. Ilia’s there, Islam’s there. Dustin’s fighting Islam. It should be fun.

‘Like I’ve been saying, that [145] title’s what I want. I want it back. But whatever way the UFC wants to push me, they’re going to push me. I’m waiting. I’m all ears.’