UFC Jacksonville: Ilia Topuria wants title shot, El Matador ready for potential bout vs Max Holloway in Spain

In this week’s riveting UFC Fight Night, MMA fans were eagerly counting down the minutes for yet another spectacular featherweight matchup. With his victory against Josh Emmett in a thrilling featherweight match, Ilia Topuria undoubtedly didn’t let the crowd down.

Josh could not find a way to overcome “El Matador” in Jacksonville, rather Ilia defeated him quite easily. However, Topuria is now aiming for two major fights rather than just one after defeating Emmett by unanimous decision (50-44, 50-42, 49-45).

Ilia Topuria on Max Holloway

The fight between “El Matador” and “The Fighting Falmer” was expected to be extremely fascinating for a variety of reasons. The number 5 and 9 ranked featherweight competitors were determined to boost their chances of getting a title shot.

Ilia Topuria just put the featherweight division on notice 😤 #UFCJacksonville pic.twitter.com/ZsqFNLcgAW

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) June 24, 2023

However, Topuria in the post-fight press conference expressed that he’d be waiting for Max Holloway to fight in Spain if he doesn’t get a title shot immediately.

“I’m the next guy in the line. I can wait. One of the best skills that I have is the patience. If they offer me to fight with Max Holloway in Spain, let’s do it. If not, I’m going to wait for my title fight. That’s all.” Topuria said.

Max Holloway’s next match has been announced by Dana White recently. The former featherweight champion will settle his dispute with Chun Sung Jung in Singapore.

Ilia Topuria believes he's "next in line" for a title shot and only a fight against Max Holloway in Spain could entice him not to wait 👀 #UFCJacksonville pic.twitter.com/4eUzXHuLfn

— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) June 24, 2023

Ilia Topuria deserves the title shot

Topuria may have said that he is interested in a fight in Spain against Holloway but that doesn’t mean the undefeated fighter isn’t ready to take on the featherweight king.

In professional mixed martial arts, Topuria, who debuted in the UFC in 2020, has never lost. The 25-year-old fighter increased his winning streak to 14 tonight with a victory over Emmett showing that no one can match his level of skill inside the cage.

Ilia Topuria makes his way to the press conference with a background track 🗣️🎶 #UFCJacksonville pic.twitter.com/5dP36KbhXf

— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) June 24, 2023

While talking about his future ambitions with the MMA Hour, the undefeated fighter Topuria said that he knows he can finish anyone in the featherweight division. Taking on Alexander Volkanovski would be a bit tough for Topuria but he hopes to find a way to defeat ‘The Great’.

“It’s not going to be different with Alex. The recipe is going to be the same. I’m going to knock him out in the first round, second round. If not, I’m going to dominate him for five rounds, no problem.” Topuria added.

Volkanovski will face Yair Rodriguez in his next important octagon contest. On Saturday, July 8 in Las Vegas, the main event of UFC 290 will feature a contest between El Pantera and The Great.