"Bring my belt and your pillow" - Ilia Topuria calls out Max Holloway again, promises to be first man in history to KO 'Blessed'

Ilia Topuria once again challenged Max Holloway, asserting to become the first fighter in history to secure a knockout victory over 'Blessed'.

'El Matador' secured the featherweight championship at UFC 298 in February by knocking out Alexander Volkanovski in the second round. Despite Volkanovski anticipating an immediate rematch with Topuria following his title loss, Holloway appears to have leapfrogged him into the contenders. This follows Holloway's dramatic victory over Justin Gaethje at UFC 300 last month, where he clinched the ceremonial BMF title with a last-second knockout.

During an appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani last month, 'El Matador' expressed that he would only consider facing Holloway next if the former 145-pound champion were to put the BMF title on the line.

Speculation arose that the 27-year-old Georgian declined the rematch with 'The Great', potentially targeted for UFC 305 in Perth, Australia, purportedly to secure a bout against Holloway.

Topuria recently addressed the situation on X, clarifying that he did not reject the rematch with Volkanovski. He also reaffirmed his stance on fighting Holloway, saying:

"I never turned down the rematch with Alex as the UFC has never offered me this fight. As I’ve said many times before, I will be the first to knockout Holloway. Let’s keep this simple: Do you want to fight? If the answer is yes, there's nothing more to discuss. Bring my belt and your pillow."

Check out Ilia Topuria's X post below:

Holloway has previously commented that Topuria's insistence on putting the BMF title on the line suggests that he may not be fully prepared to compete for that title. According to the 32-year-old Hawaiian, making such demands does not align with the 'BMF' mentality.

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Alexander Volkanovski confident about Max Holloway's ability to defeat Ilia Topuria in potential fight

Alexander Volkanovski stands as the only fighter to have shared the octagon with both Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway, providing him with a unique perspective on a potential clash between the two.

During a recent interview with FOX Sports Australia (via MMA Fighting), 'The Great' offered insights into the anticipated matchup between the featherweight champion and the BMF titleholder:

"I believe Max can go out there and make that fight look easy. Topuria is very dangerous and a great fighter, but I don’t think he’s as good as he thinks he is. And, of course, he caught me, right? So, I can’t really say much. I need to show everyone. I know I can do it, too. And I’m also quite confident Max can too, which is why I didn’t want him fighting Topuria before I did."