At 32 years of age, Max Holloway still has a lot of time left in the UFC according to this UFC legend. ‘Blessed’ has been fighting for about 12 years now, so fans seem to think he is nearing the end of his career. However at only 32, an age most people actually peak.
So, UFC veteran Chael Sonnen had to remind the fans that the Hawaii native is not someone to overlook as he prepares to fight for the featherweight title.
Holloway is looking to win back what was once his and unify the BMF with the featherweight title. But standing in his way is the man trying to be the UFC’s new poster boy, Ilia Topuria.
Topuria has been devastating against anyone the UFC has pitted him against. He is an assassin, just ask Alexander Volkanovski. However, Holloway is a dangerous man, who can keep up his pace and precision during the championship rounds, something the Spaniard remains untested in.
So, in a recent video posted to Instagram, Sonnen reiterated why Holloway was so dangerous and dispelled the idea that his best days were behind him.
“The narrative attached to Max being an underdog is that his better times were behind him. Excuse me? He’s a champion right now….His best days are right now”
Sonnen could not believe his ears when he heard that Holloway came in as the betting underdog for UFC 308. Although he claims it is not a prediction, he does believe people are overlooking Holloway.
‘Blessed‘ is the current BMF champion and is coming off a fight that he could have won by decision but was comfortable enough to go for broke during the last few seconds of the fight against Justin Gaethje just to give him a chance and the win by a last-second KO.
Unfortunately, his next opponent Ilia Topuria thinks it’s just a gimmick!
Topuria challenges Max Holloway
All throughout the fight week, Topuria has been reiterating only one thing. He claims he is going to point at the center of the octagon within the first ten seconds and invite Holloway to his signature exchange.
Even when they faced off for the first time after their press conference, ‘El Matador’ had to remind the BMF champion about his challenge,
“First 10 seconds, I will be waiting for you in the middle of the octagon.”
Topuria seems to be serious about this challenge. However, it could also be a way to get into his opponent’s mind and keep him guessing as to what his game plan will be.
However, the veteran that he is, Holloway has not accepted the challenge yet. He has told the media that he only did that in the las 1-seconds to give Gaethje a chance and indulging in it in the very first 10 seconds of the fight would just be dumb.