Sounds The Mariachi . Red underwear, challenging gaze and enormous doses of conviction. Nobody before had defeated Max Holloway by technical KO, a Hawaiian with a suburban appearance and rough in his ways. But those in the know said that this time he could do little against Ilia Topuria (Halle, Germany, 1997), Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) featherweight world champion for three months, when he defeated the previous champion, Alexander Volkanovski. The killer Spanish is one of those fighters who defy fear by playing Russian roulette. He has navigated dark waters to reach the elite and the Abu Dhabi event should elevate him even more at 27 years old. With 3m26s left in the third round, Holloway fell to the floor of the Etihad Arena, a victim of the blows of this Spanish host and Georgian parents.
The fight was much harder than expected. The lankier Holloway refused to show his jaw and kicked whenever he could to contain the beast. Topuria, with a few centimeters less, occupied the center of the octagon from the beginning and always kept the situation under control. In the first round he sent Holloway to the ground with a hold after landing several good blows.
Holloway, who had never lost by knockout, lasted two rounds, but fell in the third
The Spaniard’s dominance on points was clear at that moment, but in the second round Holloway took a step forward. Topuria’s firmness did not disappear, but some good hand from the Hawaiian made him retreat. The Spaniard continued trying his three-punch combinations. Holloway never knew which one was going to be the toughest of the three. But these did not always enter and the American equalized the fight.
Throughout the week, expert pools indicated that the fight would most likely be resolved with a KO in the second or third round in favor of Topuria. But Holloway threatened the forecasts. His ability to gain seconds on the clock by using his legs to push his rival away and ensure that no blow really left him out of position made him increase his options.
However, Topuria kept his bet and came out on top in the third round. His lower center of gravity allowed him to hit without so much fear of his rival’s counterattack. He felt it was his time. He threw punches and more punches until one clicked. A right connected with Holloway’s jaw and he took two steps back. The killer He saw in the American’s eyes that the punch had gone deep inside him and he pounced on him. The fight was already over, but no one knew it. Seconds later, Holloway was lying on the ground after the world champion’s umpteenth left hook.
Topuria (17-0) hugged his team, came down from the octagon and greeted Sergio Ramos, present in the front row, before heading towards the king emeritus, Juan Carlos I, whom he greeted with a kiss on the forehead before returning to receive your belt.
The meaning of this victory is devastating for all rivals in its category. If three months ago he destroyed the Australian Volkanovski, yesterday he KOed the man who had never been knocked out. There is nothing left for him but to repeat combat with one of them, open the doors to a more inexperienced candidate or broaden his horizons. “I don’t want to defend the title 30,000 times, I like fights that generate expectations. “I only want to fight people who are ahead of me or represent some kind of challenge,” he said.
And so a name appears on the horizon, a major challenge even for Topuria: the triple lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. A ruthless fighter, for many the heir to Khabib Nurmagomedov, who has already threatened the Spaniard in the past. The fight, if it occurs, would be in 2025 and in Madrid.
#Matador #Topuria #king
