ABU DHABI – When the idea first was proposed that Max Holloway could challenge for Ilia Topuria’s featherweight title, Topuria had what seemed to be a natural question.
Would Holloway’s new BMF belt be on the line, too? It stood to reason, Topuria argued, that it should.
The MMA world now knows that it wasn’t part of the deal this past Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, where Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC), the UFC’s first champion from Spain, defended the featherweight belt with a stunner of a knockout in the third round. Former longtime champ Holloway (26-8 MMA, 22-8 UFC) this never had been knocked out.
