Outside Source
Holloway (26-8) serves in the main attraction of UFC 318 in July, where he will not be vying for any belt other than the company’s symbolic “BMF Title.” He and Dustin Poirier (30-9, 1 NC) have competed twice in the past, with Poirier winning on both occasions, but this trilogy match may be for even more marbles than the rest. Should the Hawaiian get his hand raised in New Orleans that night, he believes that he could cut the line towards contendership. Holloway spoke to Stake.com on Thursday, where “Blessed” laid out his championship aspirations and how he sees the rest of the 155-pound category playing out.
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The Hawaiian, now permanently a lightweight, is gunning for the top spot in that weight class. The 33-year-old knows his name carries weight for the company and for fight fans, and that the path of an ex-champion to gold is historically easier than trying to reach the top of the mountain the first time. He was watching closely when Charles Oliveira threw down with Ilia Topuria, and was excited as the prospect of facing one of them again.
“When the title fight got announced, Oliveira vs. Topuria, I think I was the happiest man alive because I have history with both of them,” an elated Holloway said. “Then with me having the opportunity and someone like Dustin Poirier, who just his last fight was for the 155-[pound] title. You know, if I go out there, I do something spectacular and I get my hand raised, who’s to say no?”
Holloway continued, “I know people are saying right now that there are clear-cut number-one contenders, or that a certain guy is clearly next in line. But how often do we actually see those so-called clear-cut contenders get the title shot? This would not be the first time someone goes out, does something spectacular and changes the conversation. If I go out there and put on a performance, it’s going to be hard to deny me. I do not think a title shot is that far off, maybe by the end of the year, or maybe mid next year. Who knows?”
Former Champ Offers Praise on Topuria’s Punching Power
When Holloway squared off with Topuria for the featherweight throne, something happened to him that had never happened before: Holloway got knocked out. This ultra-durable Hawaiian had absorbed a record number of strikes before his chin finally gave way under the bulldozer that is “El Matador.” He may not outright suggest that Topuria is the heaviest hitter in the game, he does not laugh off the notion.
“I have been asked how he really hit,” Holloway remarked. “When I was in there, I did feel like this guy hit so much harder. 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 Justin [Gaethje], I felt some things. I felt that Gaethje hits hard and Gaethje kicks hard. When Ilia hit me, nothing was like, ‘oh man, he hits hard or whatever.’”
The Hawaiian was not ready to just toss aside Topuria from the imagined pound-for-pound biggest puncher list, however. He noted, “But you have to say that he hits hard because you see what happens to people when he touches them. So, at the end of the day, maybe it is hard to deny that, you know, he might be one of the biggest punchers in UFC history, pound for pound, for sure.”
In the entire career of Topuria, all of his knockout victories have been of the clean knockout variety, without a technical knockout due to injury or even due to referee intervention. Holloway was one of those victims, but he still is not ready to overlook those that take on the 5-foot-8 former featherweight currently holding the lightweight strap. Among those names that can test Topuria is the recent potential challenger Paddy Pimblett, who entered the cage to stare down Topuria after his most recent victory.
“We see what happens in MMA when a lot of people talk about something being a mismatch…it’s MMA man, anything can happen,” “Blessed” pitched. “Somebody can get caught, somebody can slip and things just happen. We see weird things happen in this sport so at the end of the day, you cannot count anyone out. UFC is about selling fights that people want to see…if people keep talking about that fight enough, it might happen.”
Despite how closely he is watching other parts of 155 pounds, including a possible pairing of Pimblett vs. Gaethje—he feels it is “for sure a fight of the year contender”—Holloway has his eye on the goal. Two down to the Louisiana native, he is proud to fight him again and hopes there is a prize awaiting at the end of the rainbow.
“I am here to get a title,” Holloway claimed. “I am here to get an undisputed title. I want to put my name in the history books along with the guys who held two belts in two different weight classes. And if I can get my name etched in the record books like that, then that would be amazing…that is my main goal right now. At 155, we are rejuvenated, we are refocused.”
Holloway knows that he will be treading through hostile territory for this pay-per-view main event, but he is not worried that he will be the less popular fighter in the building come fight night. The Hawaiian relishes the opportunity to take off his white hat and become the villain, if only for an evening.
“Against Dustin, I want to be the spoiler that I know I need to be out there. Be the bad guy, I guess, and get my hand raised,” the former champ concluded.
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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