ABU DHABI – Max Holloway lost by knockout for the first time in his career Saturday at UFC 308, but in no way did it change his typical way of handling defeats with grace.
Shortly after his third-round defeat to Ilia Topuria, Holloway (26-8 MMA, 22-8 UFC) took the podium backstage at Etihad Arena to field questions from reporters. As Holloway spoke, it seemed he’d already separated the emotion of the moment from his analysis.
“I felt great. I was finding my groove,” Holloway told MMA Junkie and other reporters. “You saw on the scoreboards after, I was kind of surprised. I thought I had at least one of them. In the first round, I know he took me down. Then at the ending he had that takedown. It is what it is. It felt good showing off my hands. I was landing. I was moving fast. I think I had him surprised in there. Like I said, I was doing well until I wasn’t. … Game of inches, man. Game of inches. He landed something that I found myself looking at him, up from the ground. It is what it is.”
