And Topuria entered the legend: this was the spectacular KO of the champion against Max Holloway

The Matador arrived at the Etihad Arena, located in the capital of the United Arab Emirates, wanting to showcase what he conquered in February against Alexander Volkanovski against another legendary fighter of the companyformer champion Holloway. And he did it again: in eight months he has knocked out two of the best featherweight fighters of all time.

The greatness of this feat lies in the fact that, in addition to successfully executing the first defense of his title, he did it the way he himself had promised: knocking out a fighter who had never been knocked out in his professional career. The danger of the Spanish-Georgian fighter was constant, until the final moment arrived.

“I’m going to knock out Holloway,” was the phrase he repeated throughout the week of the fight, and even for a long time before. And he passed sentence. A minute into the third round, Topuria landed a tremendous right hand on his opponent’s face that made his entire body tremble. There he smelled that his opponent was touched and he launched himself to finish the job, with a left crochet that ended up knocking the American down.

A short distance boxing chairagainst an athlete who had boasted of being “the best boxer in the UFC.” Topuria has no limits. «Thank God, everything belongs to him. He gives me everything I have. I don’t know what to say. Defeating a legend like Holloway is something I still can’t believe. I have followed your career, you have inspired me and an entire generation. I want to represent the new generation“I want to be a small portion of the example that Holloway has been for the new generation,” he said after the duel.

And this is how Topuria analyzed the key moment of his victory in the interview as soon as he put on the UFC featherweight belt again. «I have hit him many times, but with that right hand I have seen it in his face. He has taken several steps back and you don’t see that many times in Holloway. I have felt it, my brother told me, to keep pushing and that is what I have done,” he added.