Apr 13, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Max Holloway celebrates after knocking out Justin Gaethje (not pictured) during UFC 300 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

mma

“People Just Look At The Names” – Max Holloway Throws Shade At Ilia Topuria’s Recent Opponents

Max Holloway gives his take on Ilia Topuria's recent opponents and the state that they fought in at the time!

Apr 13, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Max Holloway celebrates after knocking out Justin Gaethje (not pictured) during UFC 300 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The featherweight division has seen some serious shake ups over the past couple of years. New champions have emerged, legends have fallen, and the landscape keeps shifting dramatically. Max Holloway knows this division better than almost anyone else on the planet. The Hawaiian legend has been mixing it up with the best featherweights for over a decade now. He has seen fighters rise and fall, witnessed careers peak and decline, and understands the subtle factors that can make or break a championship run.

When someone like Holloway speaks about the current state of the division, people tend to listen carefully. His recent comments about Ilia Topuria’s impressive recent three fight winning streak have raised some eyebrows and sparked plenty of discussion among fight fans.

Max Holloway Reveals Context Matters More Than Names

Max Holloway recently shared his thoughts on Topuria’s last three victories, and his take might surprise some people. He’s not trying to take anything away from the Georgian fighter’s accomplishments. However, he wants fans to dig deeper than just looking at names on a resume. According to Holloway, people get too caught up in the big names without considering the circumstances surrounding those fights. He believes that context matters just as much as the actual results when evaluating a fighter’s current streak.

The former champion pointed out some interesting details about Topuria’s recent opponents that many fans might have overlooked. When Topuria knocked out Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 to win the featherweight title, it was an incredible achievement. But Holloway noted that Volkanovski was coming off a devastating knockout loss to Islam Makhachev just months earlier. Topuria’s recent lightweight title win over Charles Oliveira at UFC 317 came against a fighter who was only on a one-fight win streak at the time.

“It’s just tough… he beat the names, you can’t deny that… it just sucks when you look at that Volk fight, with Volk coming off [the Islam KO]…People just look at the names. They’re not looking at the record… What was Charles on, a 1 fight win streak?” said Holloway via Shak MMA.

Max Holloway on Ilia Topuria’s last 3 wins:

“It’s just tough… he beat the names, you can’t deny that… it just sucks when you look at that Volk fight, with Volk coming off [the Islam KO]…

People just look at the names. They’re not looking at the record… what was Charles on,… pic.twitter.com/3EhipjptD4
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) July 13, 2025

Holloway’s analysis reveals something that casual fans often miss about professional fighting. Timing isn’t just about landing the perfect punch. It’s about facing opponents at the right moment in their careers. Every fighter goes through peaks and valleys. Holloway isn’t trying to diminish Topuria’s skills or achievements, but he’s pointing out that great fighters often benefit from fortunate timing along with their natural abilities!

(Image Credit: Mark J. Rebilas – Imagn Images)

Ilia Topuria

Max Holloway

Zaid Quraishi

mma

I am a dedicated MMA and Boxing content writer at The Playoffs. I was instantly hooked on MMA after watching the fight between Lyoto Machida vs. Gegard Mousasi back in 2014, and since then, i have been an avid writer with a deep love for the sport and its techniques, providing readers with a thorough understanding of the sport. My favorite aspect of working at The Playoffs is the creative freedom it provides. The diverse range of topics, from listicles and SEO to news articles, keeps me engaged and motivates me to continuously improve my skills! I aim to capture the excitement of the combat sports world in my writing, acting as the middleman between fighters and their die-hard fans. It is kind of like a referee, but with words!