UFC vet questions Max Holloway's chin after Ilia Topuria knockout loss ahead of Dustin Poirier trilogy fight: "Maybe we see Max a little bit wobbled"

A UFC veteran believes Max Holloway's vicious KO loss to Ilia Topuria could affect him in his upcoming fight against Dustin Poirier at UFC 318. 'Blessed' hadn't been officially knocked down, much less knocked out, before facing 'El Matador'.

The former featherweight champion is set to be Poirier's dance partner at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, in what would be 'The Diamond's' retirement fight.

The pair has crossed paths twice in the past, with Poirier getting the win on both occasions. Be that as it may, Holloway is still a slight favorite for the impending clash.

While the oddsmakers seem to favor the featherweight legend, Alan Jouban has his doubts about 'Blessed'. As the UFC veteran sees it, one of Holloway's greatest attributes has been the ability to wear the damage well.

With him suffering his first-ever KO loss in his most recent fight, Jouban doubts whether the 33-year-old would now be more vulnerable to strikes. During an appearance on The BOHNFIRE podcast, he said:

"Once that [a knockout] happens, I can tell you from experience, once you've been KOd and TKOd, your chin is never quite the same. How well does Max absorb those shots in this matchup? He's always been able to absorb them.. [and] wear damage really well. They [Holloway and Poirier] don't really get buzzed or rocked, and that's why they have these dogfights in there."

Jouban added:

"How well does Max Holloway absorb those shots after not only being knocked down, but knocked out?... I think Dustin has the opportunity in this fight that maybe he hits Max with a couple shots. I don't think he puts him out, I think it goes to decision, but maybe we see Max a little bit wobbled, a little bit buzzed where we haven't seen before in other fights."

Check out Alan Jouban's comments on Max Holloway below (25:36):

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Max Holloway reveals his main motivation for UFC 318 fight against Dustin Poirier

Max Holloway has already lost twice to Dustin Poirier and is adamant about not going 0-3 against the former interim lightweight champion.

Interestingly, once the opening bell rings for the UFC 318 main event, Holloway will have been part of two trilogy fights. 'Blessed' went winless in his three fights against Alexander Volkanovski, something he hopes to avoid in his current trilogy.

In an interview with MMA Junkie's Mike Bohn, 'Blessed' spoke about his main motivator heading into the upcoming pay-per-view:

"I'm f***ing 0-3 in on trilogy, I'm not trying to be 0-3 in two trilogies. That's the main thing going through my mind right now. The BMF title is cool and everything, and making history is great, but the main history I ain't trying to make is trying to be a man who fought two different trilogies and went 0-3."

Check out Max Holloway's comments below: