Holloway Unfazed by Shock KO Loss, Focuses on Poirier Clash

In October 2024, UFC featherweight Max Holloway suffered his first career knockout loss against Ilia Topuria at UFC 308. However, Holloway has since moved on from the defeat, calling it "spilled milk" and saying he has no plans to dwell on it.

Ahead of his upcoming BMF title fight against Dustin Poirier at UFC 318 this weekend, Holloway opened up about the loss to Topuria. He acknowledged that he felt great in the fight but ultimately gave credit to his opponent. Holloway emphasized that he was sad in the moment but has no intention of holding onto the defeat, stating, "What am I going to do? Keep crying about it? Keep holding it?"

Furthermore, Holloway expressed doubts about the significance of Topuria's recent knockout streak, which includes wins over Alexander Volkanovski, Holloway, and Charles Oliveira. Holloway believes Topuria's opponents were not at their best, suggesting the Georgian-Spanish fighter simply capitalized on advantageous timing. "It's just tough, right?. Yeah, he beat the names, and you can't deny that. But then, when you look, it just sucks with everything that's going on when you look at that Volk fight, Volk coming off what he did [knockout loss to Islam Makhachev]," Holloway said.

Despite the setback, Holloway remains focused on the task at hand, as he prepares to face Poirier in a highly anticipated BMF title fight this weekend.