The MMA world never sleeps, and neither do the debates about who deserves what. Former featherweight king Max Holloway has found himself at the center of another heated discussion. This time, it’s about whether he earned his way back to another title shot against Ilia Topuria. The Hawaiian fighter isn’t backing down from the criticism though.<\/p>
Holloway’s journey has been anything but ordinary lately. He suffered his first knockout loss ever to Ilia Topuria at UFC 308 in October 2024. But before that devastating loss, Holloway had delivered one of the most spectacular knockouts in UFC<\/a> history against Justin Gaethje at UFC 300, capturing the BMF championship. The timing of that performance couldn’t have been better, as Topuria was sitting cageside watching the whole thing unfold. Now, after a brilliant showdown against Dustin Poirier at UFC 318, Holloway is looking at the 155lb gold.<\/p> ‘Blessed’ recently took to YouTube to address his critics head on. He pointed out what he sees as a glaring inconsistency in how fans judge potential matchups. His argument is pretty straightforward. He beat Gaethje convincingly, yet some of those same fans who doubt his title shot credentials are now supporting Gaethje getting a crack at the belt.<\/p> “Fans are saying that me vs. Ilia doesn’t make sense. But my last fight before this one was Ilia, and he did what he did to me. So, how do you make a case for someone [Justin] – I know he hasn’t even fought Ilia but I fought him, and I did what I did to that guy, and now he’s getting a title shot after just one win? Most of you don’t really understand fighting.”<\/em><\/strong><\/p>Max Holloway Calls Out Haters<\/h2>