The UFC champion, Ilia Topuria, will seek his first defense of the world title this Saturday, at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, a fight that will be decisive in consolidating the growth of mixed martial arts -MMA- in our country and its position stellar within the American company. Opposite will be Max Holloway, a UFC legend and former champion of the division in which El Matador now reigns.
If the Hawaiian is known for anything, it is for his striking skills, especially with his sleight of hand. During Fight Week at UFC 308, ABC was able to speak with Ilia Topuria’s boxing coach, Javi Climent, who is confident that the fight will last a short time. «We never base ourselves on what worries us or not about the rival, but rather on what may worry him. We analyzed the style in front of us very well and this time it was the same, We have very internalized the work that we are going to carry out», comments the technician.
«If Holloway goes to the center of the octagon to exchange it is the best thing that can happen to us, I know Ilia’s potential and the punch in the short distance, Holloway also knows him and I don’t think he will stay there. The person Ilia connects to will fall. He will run and when the Hawaiian stops, the fight will be over. It is not convenient for you to be in the short distance», Javi Climent points out to this newspaper.
Ilia’s boxing coach assures that the Spanish champion “is not a normal fighter” and that is a very important difference in his favor. «The fighters in the UFC are very vertical, they don’t move their heads much. “Ilia has a spectacular header, she is going to make Holloway miss a lot and you get desperate when she fails,” he analyzes.
An issue that has been talked about a lot in national mixed martial arts circles is the favoritism given to the Hawaiian from the other side of the pond, including numerous UFC fighters. «Some out of respect for Holloway, because he has been around for a long time, give him as a favorite, but it is something that we have encountered for a long time, not being favorites and ending up shining, making the world fall in love with him. People are going to be amazed when they see Ilia’s true potential. We have already shown that we are champions,” says Javi Climent.
The fight, a priori, will have a vertical fight perspective, in striking, something that could lead Topuria to execute great power blows, with the risk that that also entails. But his boxing coach doesn’t worry either. «Thanks to Jesús Gallo and Doctor Aldo, Ilia is super fit, we are not worried about cardio. If he lasts the entire fight, he will reach one hundred percent anyway. He will know how to manage all his power and energy, I am not worried that it will be a long fight, but I think it will last a short time,” he says.
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