"Knock me out AGAIN" - Fans react as Max Holloway deems rematch crucial for Ilia Topuria's legacy

Max Holloway doesn't want to let his rivalry with Ilia Topuria be defined by one knockout loss. Topuria’s rise through the featherweight division hit its peak when he stopped Holloway at UFC 308.

That win made the Spaniard the first man to knock out the former champion, and he used it as leverage to move up in weight class and challenge for the title. But the rivalry between them didn’t fade with the fight.

Holloway challenged Topuria for a rematch following his unanimous decision win against Dustin Poirier at UFC 318. Speaking on his YouTube channel, the Hawaiian said:

"When it comes to legacy and everything... We are in the entertainment business, right? But it comes down to his legacy. If he wants to continue to build his legacy, I'm here right now, you know? You did what you did once, the greats will do it twice."

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Check out Max Holloway's comments below:

Several fans took to X to react to Holloway's comments, with one fan writing:

"Bro said knock me out AGAIN."

Meanwhile, other fans wrote:

"If Iliia is so good, he won't fluke a KO against a healthy Max." "Max will expose Ilia in the rematch." "He’s getting dropped by washed [Dustin Poirier], what do you think Ilia does to him?" "How many rematches does this Holloway guy get? He's already had 2 trilogies where he was down 0-2 in both of them. Beat some legitimate lightweight contenders before begging for a rematch." "I could’ve sworn he was on here downplaying Ilia’s run, now he’s on here begging him to fight him."

Check out some of the fan reactions below:

Fans react to Max Holloway calling for a rematch against Ilia Topuria. [Screenshots courtesy: @RedCorner_MMA on X]

Tension between the two has since spilt into another issue ever since their first encounter at UFC 308. Topuria, despite never fighting for the BMF title, has repeatedly declared that he owns it.

He also held up a replica after beating Holloway. Then he repeated the claim even after Holloway defended the belt against Poirier at UFC 318.

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Edited by Abhishek Nambiar