Max Holloway looks to win the mental battle ahead of his fiercely anticipated showdown with featherweight king Ilia Topuria at UFC 308 this Saturday.
The 32-year-old is bidding to win back his old trinket, which he lost to MMA legend Alexander Volkanovski in their first encounter nearly five years ago.
Ilia Topuria, meanwhile, comes off a scintillating stoppage over Volkanovski at UFC 298 earlier this year, establishing himself as the organization’s fourth-ranked pound-for-pound star.
And so, with Max Holloway gearing up to face one of the sport’s most formidable operators, he will need to maximize every advantage he has at his disposal.
Max Holloway reveals Barcelona shirt in hilarious interview with Daniel Cormier
Holloway comes off a stunning victory against Justin Gaethje, stopping his opponent in the final second of round five to claim the BFM lightweight title.
During their thrilling exchange, ‘Blessed’ reminded fans of his bravery in the heat of battle, displaying his polished boxing skills and remarkable durability.
But still, with most fans regarding Topuria as one of the UFC’s best boxers, it seems as though Holloway may struggle to make full use of his greatest strengths in the octagon.
Ahead of fight night, though, the American has seemingly been playing mind games with his unbeaten opponent.
At Wednesday’s UFC 308 media say, for instance, Holloway brought with him an FC Barcelona shirt, claiming that it was sent to him by the rival soccer club of Real Madrid, a team that Topuria is an avid supporter of.
However, away from the conflict between the two Spanish teams, UFC legend and esteemed broadcaster Daniel Cormier has challenged Holloway to a soccer match after his fight.
In response, Holloway said: “Can you run? Bro, you look like a soccer ball. You look tired, bro, you look like [you’re] 300 lbs.”
Will the winner of Ilia Topuria vs Max Holloway fight Alexander Volkanovski?
Despite coming off a devastating loss to Topuria, Volkanovski is nonetheless determined to win his belt back.
The 36-year-old has challenged the winner of this weekend’s dustup to face him in Sydney, Australia, where UFC 312 will be staged in February.
And yet, with Topuria hoping for his next outing to land in Madrid, Spain, the Spaniard has ultimately refused to agree to the Australian’s terms.
Holloway, too, is unlikely to face Volkanovski, with the fan-favorite instead looking set to jump back up to 155 lbs.