Max Holloway isn"t convinced that Ilia Topuria is showing an actual “BMF" spirit. After Holloway"s epic win over Justin Gaethje to claim the UFC"s bragging rights belt, Topuria hinted at a showdown between them, but only if Holloway puts his BMF title on the line.
Topuria clarified that, without the BMF belt on offer, he"s not interested in facing Holloway. He"s eyeing a rematch with the current champ, Volk, who he believes deserves more attention. However, Holloway questioned whether Topuria"s approach aligns with the BMF ethos.
"Without the BMF belt [on the line], I don’t want him at all," Topuria said on The MMA Hour. "If not, I’m gonna fight with Volk who deserves more than him, the rematch. Because he has that belt, I’m excited about that. That’s why I want him. He’s been saying, ‘Right now I have a lot of options.’ He doesn’t have any options. I’m the champion right now, I choose the date, I choose the place. He just has to be ready and wait for the call. Whenever I want him, he has to be ready."
"That’s not a very ‘BMF’ way to say it," Holloway told Jim Rome. "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.’"
Max Holloway responds to Ilia Topuria saying that he won’t fight him unless the BMF belt is on the line:
"That’s not [a] very BMF way to say it. That’s kinda un-BMF.
A BMF fights whatever, whoever, whenever… that’s not a tone of a BMF."
(via. @jimrome) #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/koLTV8uG8Q
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) April 18, 2024
According to Holloway, a real BMF wouldn"t set conditions for a fight. They"d be ready to take on anyone, regardless of belts or titles. Holloway remains committed to the BMF mindset, ready to fight whoever the UFC pits against him, but he"s keen on a clash with Topuria for the world title.
