
Dustin Poirier weighs in on Max Holloway's chances in Ilia Topuria rematch
Poirier (30-10 MMA, 22-9 UFC) lost his retirement fight to BMF champion Holloway in Saturday's UFC 318 headliner at Smoothie King Center.
Prior to beating Poirier, Holloway (27-8 MMA, 23- 8 UFC) was knocked out by Topuria for the first time in his career at UFC 308. Holloway was also dropped by Poirier in their fight, and "The Diamond" was asked if he thinks Holloway's chin has now been compromised.
"I have a lot of finishes, Gaethje has a lot of finishes, obviously Ilia is knocking everybody out back-to-back," Poirier told MMA Junkie. "It could just be a bad run, it could be time catching up. As he continues, we'll see. It's tough to say because everybody is so different genetically. It's a wild thing to try and pinpoint, but if he starts getting hurt with shots we know would never hurt him three years ago, then we can make that conclusion. I think it's still too early. We need to see him in a few more fights."
Holloway could be looking at a rematch with Topuria (17-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) next – an option UFC CEO Dana White did not rule out. If Holloway gets his wish, Poirier pointed to the rematch being at lightweight now instead of featherweight as a key factor.
"I think Max would have to change up his approach to the fight," Poirier said. "You know, use his lateral footwork like he did with me, stay on the bike, use his length. But, man, if Ilia lands on anybody – like I said, anybody from 145 to 170, if he lands clean, I think he puts guys out. Maybe Max has a little bit more durability at '55, coming in a little bit healthier, a little bit more hydrated on fight night. Maybe that could play a little bit into him being able to absorb the shots, but we'll see."

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Petr Yan: 'Competent win' at UFC on ABC 9 should get me Dvalishvili vs. Sandhagen winner
ABU DHABI – Petr Yan thinks getting his hand raised in a non-controversial fashion at UFC on ABC 9 will be enough to get the next bantamweight title shot. As former titleholder Yan (18-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC) readies for Saturday's matchup with Marcus McGhee (10-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) at Etihad Arena on Yas Island (ABC, ESPN, ESPN+), the promotion has just announced the next 135-pound title bout between Merab Dvalishvili and Cory Sandhagen for UFC 320 on Oct. 4 in Las Vegas. If Yan takes cares of business this weekend, he said there is no one in the weight class who warrants a crack at the Dvalishvili (20-4 MMA, 13-2 UFC) vs. Sandhagen (18-5 MMA, 11-4 UFC) winner more than himself. "I am hoping for that," Yan told MMA Junkie through an interpreter at Wednesday's UFC on ABC 9 media day. "I think it's the right thing to do. I don't think there's anybody who is ranked higher that deserves this more than I do. I think with a competent win this Saturday, I'll make sure to cement my place as the next contender." Yan said he's intrigued to see how the title fight play out since he has history with both men. He lost a one-sided unanimous decision to Dvalishvili at UFC Fight Night 221 in March 2023, while beat Sandhagen on the scorecards in an interim title clash at UFC 267 in October 2021. He would welcome a rematch with either side, but considering he lost to Dvalishvili, that potential sequel is more compelling. "Definitely an interesting fight," Yan said. "Definitely will be watching it. I'm happy to be a backup if needed for this fight. I think that Merab is definitely going to push his rhythm, push his pace, push his style and make an uncomfortable style. But Sandhagen also has a chance. I think he has a chance to win." "It's very interesting to me to see what I would do in a fight against him. I now understand that in the five rounds we had, I probably threw my right hand four times. I'm interested to see how the fight would play out differently." First things first, Yan must get through McGhee, who hasn't been beaten inside the octagon yet and has plenty of motivation to pull off by far the biggest victory of his career. Yan has no intention to let that happen, however, and knows he can't fall into a trap of complacency against a lesser-ranked foe. "If I see the opportunity for it I'm definitely not going to shy away from a fire fight," Yan said. "I'm definitely going to stand and strike. I know I have the skills, so I'll be looking for openings and the opportunity to catch him and implement my game. Hopefully it works out and I'll knock him out."


USA Today
3 hours ago
- USA Today
Ilia Topuria fires back at Max Holloway's BMF title criticism: 'I put you to sleep'
Ilia Topuria is unbothered by Max Holloway's verbal jabs over his continuous flaunting of an inauthentic BMF title. Holloway (27-8 MMA, 23-8 UFC) captured the BMF strap at UFC 300 in April 2024 when he scored a last-second knockout of Justin Gaethje. His next fight came against Topuria (17-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) at UFC 308 in October, but the BMF belt was not on the line, and therefor Holloway technically kept it despite being stopped by strikes. It was back up for grabs this past weekend when Holloway defeated Dustin Poirier by unanimous decision in the UFC 318 main event, and afterward "Blessed" dissed for Topuria to keep trotting around the non-legitimate version of the silver title. That doesn't bother Topuria one bit, he said, because even if Holloway or the UFC doesn't recognize it as official, he's certain that the only BMF around is himself. "That's not my problem," Topuria told the Nelk Boys. "I just knocked him out. How can you still be the BMF if I knocked you out? I pointed to the ground in the first 10 seconds. You ran away. Then I caught you anyways and I put you to sleep. And you're still the BMF? How's that?" Holloway has made it clear he wants revenge on now-lightweight champion Topuria in the form of a rematch. UFC CEO Dana White expressed interest in possibly running it back with the BMF officially at stake, but he did not commit to Holloway being next. Topuria said he does not have any confirmation about his next opponent, but Holloway, Justin Gaethje, Arman Tsarukyan and Paddy Pimblett have all made the argument to having a case. "I think they are going to try to push for Justin," Topuria said. "That's what I think. Or maybe Paddy. There's not even a conversation about Arman. ... He needs to fight."


USA Today
4 hours ago
- USA Today
Khabib Nurmagomedov: Jack Della Maddalena tougher for Islam Makhachev than Ilia Topuria
Khabib Nurmagomedov is not expecting it to be a given that Islam Makhachev will roll through Jack Della Maddalena and become a two-division UFC champion. Former lightweight titleholder Makhachev (27-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC), who has the most successful defenses in divisional history, will venture to welterweight later this year when he challenges champion Della Maddalena (18-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC) for the belt and the opportunity to further enhance his legacy. Many MMA fans wanted Makhachev to stay at 155 pounds and face Ilia Topuria, who since captured the vacant strap with a first-round knockout of Charles Oliveira at UFC 317 in June. That didn't happen, and it's not because of ducking or fear. Makhachev explained to MMA Junkie in a recent interview that he's pushed by wanting greatness of a second belt, and his coach Nurmagomedov said it's going to be no easy task. 'I think Maddalena is the toughest opponent in Islam's career," Nurmagomedov told Hustle Show. "That's my opinion. Not Charles (Oliveira), no one else. None of those other fighters. Not even Ilia, if that fight were to happen. That's just my personal opinion. "First of all, Maddalena is twice the size of Ilia. Taller, bigger, stronger legs, bigger frame. His boxing is just as good. And, in grappling, he scrambles really well if you've watched him. For me, if I was preparing Islam for either Ilia or Maddalena, I'd be more concerned about Maddalena." Nurmagomedov isn't isolated in his stance. Makhachev also praised Della Maddalena as a tough test when breaking down the expected contest. With 15 straight octagon victories on his resume, Makhachev will have the opportunity to not only become the 11th in UFC history to claim belts in two separate weight classes, but he can also tie Anderson Silva's longstanding record of most consecutive UFC wins at 16. 'It's going to be a hard fight," Makhachev told MMA Junkie. "Honestly, it's going to be. I saw his fight against Belal (Muhammad). He's good, man. When he began fighting in the UFC, he had problems with wrestling, but now he's improved because I've seen him training a lot with wrestlers and grapplers, and that's why he's champion right now. He's good everywhere. But we will see who's the best fighter in the world very soon.'