Former MMA champion says Max Holloway is stylistically “a bad matchup” for Ilia Topuria: “That’s going to be his downfall”

Former MMA champion Josh Thomson says Max Holloway is stylistically ‘a bad matchup’ for Ilia Topuria.

The undefeated Ilia Topuria (15-0 MMA) is set to defend his UFC featherweight title for the first time against Max Holloway (26-7 MMA) at UFC 308 which takes place on Saturday, October 26th at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

‘El Matador’ last fought in February of this year, defeating Alexander Volkanovski (26-4 MMA) by KO to claim the crown.

‘Blessed’ is coming into UFC 308 after a KO victory over Justin Gaethje (25-5 MMA) last April at UFC 300 and in the process becoming the new UFC BMF champion.

(via Zuffa LLC)

It was during a recent segment on the ‘Weighing In’ podcast that Josh Thomson, former Strikeforce world lightweight champion and former Strikeforce U.S. lightweight champion, previewed the matchup between Topuria and Holloway saying:

“Max on the feet, what we saw with him against Justin Gaethje, he can handle the power, he can handle the movement, he can handle the aggressiveness. Topuria is going to stalk after him, he’s just going, and Max Holloway is going to be on his bike, sticking and moving, using that long-range jab right in his face… My point is that when Topuria is gonna start stalking after him, he’s gonna start taking those jabs in the opening rounds.”

Continuing, Thomson said (h/t MMANews):

“He’s going to be reaching and lunging to get in on Max Holloway, and that’s going to be his downfall. He’s got fight IQ and knows how to use his movement, how to put his combinations together, and how to threaten the body as well as the head. He throws everything at you, including the kitchen sink, and it lands. He’s accurate with his strikes, with no wasted movements. He knows what he’s doing. Topuria, right now, I think is a fantastic fighter; I just think stylistically this is a bad matchup for him.”

Do you agree with Thomson’s analogy concerning the upcoming bout between Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway? Who will you be picking to take home the title at UFC 308?

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