Sean O’Malley’s coach explains how Max Holloway can beat Ilia Topuria at UFC 308

The coach of UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley thinks Max Holloway has a solid chance of dethroning Ilia Topuria.

Holloway is set to challenge Topuria for the UFC Featherweight Championship at UFC 308 on October 26th. Topuria is a betting favorite going into the title fight. Still, fans haven’t forgotten about the spectacular last-minute KO that “Blessed” scored over Justin Gaethje at UFC 300.

Tim Welch has now weighed in on the matchup. He has expressed his belief that Holloway can pull off the win.

RELATED: ILIA TOPURIA WARNS ALEXANDER VOLKANOVSKI AGAINST ACCEPTING BACKUP ROLE AT UFC 308: “HE WANTS TO GET KNOCKED OUT EVERY YEAR”

Tim Welch Wouldn’t be Surprised if Max Holloway Beats Ilia Topuria

During an episode of “Red Hawk Recap,” Tim Welch said that he respects the skills of Ilia Topuria. With that said, he isn’t ruling out a possible upset win for Max Holloway (h/t MMAJunkie.com).

“I mean, he’s pretty flat-footed, and he’s pretty stationary, and he is not the tallest guy. I would be zero percent surprised if Max Holloway came out, found his range, got started first, made Topuria miss a lot, and Max got it done.”

Welch also hasn’t been shy in his opinion that Sean O’Malley can defeat Topuria if the two ever share the Octagon.

“I just think it’s a – people are like, ‘You f*cking idiot.’ I’m like, ‘It’s a winnable fight,’” Welch said of Topuria. “I just truly do believe it is.”

For now, Welch will need to stay focused on cornering O’Malley for his title defense against Merab Dvalishvili scheduled for UFC 306 on September 14th. What’s in the cards for O’Malley should he move past Merab could be interesting. The “Suga” show has expressed interest in mega fights with the likes of Topuria and even a boxing match with Gervonta “Tank” Davis.

The latter certainly seems far-fetched, but never say never.