Max Holloway says Ilia Topuria is one of the biggest pound-for-pound punchers in the UFC.
But is he the hardest hitter he’s ever fought? Not quite, says the BMF Champion.
Across 34 pro fights, 30 of which were in the UFC, Max Holloway has only been knocked out one time in his career and that was in his most recent fight at UFC 308.
Newly-crowned UFC Lightweight Champion Ilia Topuria professed he’d be the first to KO Holloway and he did so in spectacular fashion, flooring Holloway in the third round to defend his featherweight belt in October.
Despite the unprecedented result, the veteran Holloway feels he’s been hit harder in his UFC career.
Max Holloway compares Justin Gaethje’s power to Ilia Topuria: ‘I felt some things’
According to the UFC statistics, Topuria was the first fighter to knock down Holloway.
However, in the fight before, BMF Champion Justin Gaethje had dropped Holloway with a punch in round 4 of their BMF title bout at UFC 300. Holloway quickly got up and recovered, making it out of the round to score a KO at the final buzzer.
In an interview with Stake.com, Holloway said Gaethje noticeably hits harder than Topuria after going five rounds with him, but gives ‘El Matador’ the respect he deserves for being the first to put him out.
“I have been asked how hard he really hit?” Holloway said of Topuria.
“When I was in there, I did not feel like this guy hit so much harder [than other opponents]. But the guy must hit hard. Cause when you are hit hard, then your body does something that it is not used to. And then you think to yourself, what the hell?
“But comparing his punch. When I fought Gaethje, I felt some things,” Holloway continued.
Gaethje has some of the most devastating leg kicks in MMA, a potential key to victory against a boxer like Topuria.
“I felt that Gaethje hits hard and Gaethje kicks hard. When Ilia when he hit me, nothing was like, ‘oh man, he hits hard or whatever’.
“But you have to say that he hits hard because you see what happens to people when he touches them,” Holloway said of Topuria.
“So at the end of the day, maybe it is hard to deny that he might be one of the biggest punchers in UFC history, pound for pound, for sure.”
Former foe Josh Emmett details why Ilia Topuria can hit so hard
Along with Holloway, Josh Emmett doesn’t think Topuria hits that hard—at least, not as hard as Dan Ige.
While former foes like Charles Oliveira say they’ve never been hit harder than by Topuria, Emmett explains why ‘El Matador’ can generate so much power.
“The thing with Ilia is his footwork is good,” Emmett told MMA Junkie’s Danny Segura.
“He’s always in a really good position.
“He’s fast, and he’s very precise and accurate. He’s not loading up a 100%.
“He’s landing [with] the accuracy and precision, with the speed, and that’s where the power is,” Emmett said.
Emmett is the only fighter to survive five rounds with the undefeated finisher Topuria.