"I am so proud" - UFC legend praises BMF champion Max Holloway for calling out Ilia Topuria despite brutal KO loss

Max Holloway recently expressed his desire for a rematch against Ilia Topuria in the lightweight division, sparking interest among fans and critics alike, including a UFC legend who praised Holloway's enthusiasm for the matchup.

'Blessed' is coming off a victory over Dustin Poirier at UFC 318, where he successfully defended his BMF title. Following the win, Holloway issued a challenge to the reigning UFC lightweight champion.

In a recent appearance on the Good Guy / Bad Guy show, Chael Sonnen shared his thoughts on Holloway's pursuit of a rematch against Topuria, saying:

"I'm so proud of Max Holloway for doing this. I got to tell you that the game that he is playing through the media, we would have laughed, and I believe partner, we actually did.... And all of a sudden, Max versus Ilia is not that far away. What an incredible claim by Max, 'You did it once, but you have to do it twice.' I mean, that's how things become real."

Check out Chael Sonnen's comments below (10:53):

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Alexander Volkanovski calls for Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway 2

The first encounter between Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway took place at UFC 308 for the featherweight championship, where Topuria knocked out Holloway to defend his title.

Following Holloway's UFC 318 victory, Alexander Volkanovski expressed his desire for a rematch between the pair:

"I’m gonna give Max a moment right now to just say how incredible that was. It is not easy to come back from losses... I know Max just fought [Topuria], but now it’s at lightweight where they both sort of want to be... Max beat Justin Gaethje, who I think is the No.1 contender, and [Dustin] Poirier, who just fought for the title. So he literally beat the two top guys... That’s his only fights in lightweight, his streak right now, and it’s against the two top guys. You’d say he’s next. You would think so."

Check out Alexander Volkanovski's comments below (3:09):