"I know that I'm gonna knock him out" - UFC footage reveals Ilia Topuria's gameplan to KO Max Holloway

Former UFC featherweight kingpin Ilia Topuria became the first man in the UFC to knock out Max Holloway. Topuria has now given the breakdown of how he achieved this massive feat last year.

At UFC 308, Topuria defended his 145-pound strap for the first time when he faced Holloway. Before the fight, the Georgian-Spaniard was confident in his striking, having knocked out Alexander Volkanovski in his previous outing. On fight night, after the first bell, he pointed to the middle of the canvas, asking Holloway to brawl right away. 'Blessed' did not accept the invitation.

In the third round, Topuria caught Holloway with an overhand right, wobbling the challenger and then dropping him with another left hand and finishing him with a barrage of hammerfists.

A UFC footage reshared by Red Corner MMA on X shows how Topuria and his brother, Aleksandre, planned how to knock out Holloway step by step. In the mentioned clip, Topuria said:

"He [Aleksandre] told me before the fight that no one was able to knock him down, but when I was watching his fight, I was talking to my team, and I'm like, what an opportunity because I know that I'm gonna knock him out. I know that it’s gonna happen. I see it."

He added:

"When the second round was over, my brother told me now I need you to pressure him because you're gonna finish him, he is tired. He was going from his stance to southpaw, and I said I'm gonna go with the cross and the right hand when he switches his stance. I landed a right hand, and he started to wobble… It's nice to be the only man in the world to knock out Max Holloway. It feels that I'm one of them. I'm one of the greatest."

Check out Ilia Topuria's comments below:

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Ilia Topuria takes massive dig at Islam Makhachev

Islam Makhachev's choice to move up to welterweight and not fight Ilia Topuria did not sit well with the latter. Topuria recently appeared in an interview with Kevin Iole and blasted Makhachev. He said:

"Nobody gives a f*ck about Islam. Even when in Dagestan, he is fighting, the people go to sleep and watch his fights in the morning. He doesn't even know how to pronounce two words."

Check out Ilia Topuria's comments below:

Topuria has also stated that if he and Makhachev become champions in their respective divisions, the former will move up to welterweight to fight the Russian.