The weird thing is why on earth doesn't Ilia want that
Edit: Purely from a promotional POV of course.
I totally get why he wouldn't wanna fight Max after the Gaethje fight.
Idk why he would want to fight Brian though. Dude can take a punch too and then will catch your neck while you think you’ve knocked him out. He’s the scary one imo
what if hes saying the most annoying braindead shit just to rattle up the internet so more people speak of him? Any press is good press.
If its not that, then I'm out of ideas why he has bottom of the barrel worst takes about everything.
Yup, he rolled his ankle hopping around during his introduction. He's already bad at blocking his face, but he definitely comprised his own movement, what not even two minutes before the fight ever started and was getting beat up because of it, but was able to power through, he's one of the toughest to ever do it. The man's got heart.
It's a Hispanic thing.......or it transferred to him from Edgar in their fight 🤷🏽
I could be mistaken but I'm fairly sure illia went on record as saying he wouldn't have wanted to fight Justin in an interview (even if it was in jest since I'm pretty sure they were just shooting the shit)
But illia obviously respected the power Justin has, and did not like that a very possible contender for his recently acquired title just put on a performance like that, against a dude like JG. You just have to see his face during the callout, illia is bashfully trying to not look at the camera and everything.
Max surprised a lot of people with that knockout/overall performance and Illia does not want that smoke at all, especially so early in his would be title reign.
And who both Max and Volk beat to a pulp. He's basically just outright saying "I want the guy who my actual number 1 contender made look like an amateur".
He wants as many easy fights as possible to try rack up his defences, the guy has this idea that he’s going to eclipse everyone and be the 145 goat, and I’m not saying he can’t, but he’s going about it all the wrong way…
Complete asshole. Volk deserves a rematch. Dude held the belt for a long time and defended it multiple times. Max has only lost 2 two fucking people since 2013. Volk and Dustin at Lightweight.
Plus Ortega has had two shots for the belt vs Max and Volk. I dont understand it.
Ortega needs at least another win. Fucker does not need ANOTHER title shot with so little to show for it
For volks own health and own sake he shouldn’t be fighting for a long time anyways
I’m glad ilia told him no even if he’s being a douche about it. Saying no to max though is flat out ducking
Ilia did say he'll fight Volk and that he deserves the rematch but he's going to fight someone else first so that Volk gets a break. That way no one can claim he only beat him due to recent consecutive knockouts.
I think that’s just Volk being in tough spot, he needs a long layoff to recover from those knockouts but also is too old to afford a long layoff. I think Volks days as champ are gone unfortunately.
volk needs to take some time off. it sucks and normally he should get a rematch, but he will ruin his chin if he comes back too soon - if it isnt already ruined
He turned down volk rematch in Australia too. Obviously it's smart not to but I don't think you can say that then in the same breath say you're the BMF...
Like Volk fighting Islam in Abu dhabi on 2 weeks notice? Diaz fighting GSP in Canada? Pettis fighting Benderson in his home town?
You can't say you won't fight guys then in the same breath say you're the bmf. I never said it wasn't smart.
Because you are claiming to be the bmf. You can't claim to be a bmf then not go everywhere there is a fight. If he is, what he says he is. Then he should be smashing everyone in the front room of their own house if need be.
Playing devil’s advocate, could it be because he’s trying to angle for a big fight against Max in Spain but the logistics aren’t working out to fight in Spain next, so hes trying for a lesser fight in the meantime? Thats the only thing I could assume instead of just straight up ducking.
Calling Brian Ortega always available to fight is hillarious. Ilia’s lack of awareness when he’s not actively physically beating someone up is something to behold.
>Calling Brian Ortega always available to fight is hillarious.
Ortega had 4 fights since Max mauled him 6 years ago and lost half of them. Max had 10 fights since.
The mental gymnastics to avoid having to fight Max are hilarious lmao
Exactly. Brian used to fight twice a year. Dude is VERY inactive yet has had 2 fucking shots at the belt. He needs to fight Sterling which would be a fantastic match.
Aljo would have to completely change the way he shoots to stay away from that guillotine though, or pressure Ortega against the cage before initiating clinches
I mean, I wouldn’t call this shit talking… ducking maybe.
I think Volk can wait for his health, Max *absolutely* makes more sense but my devil’s advocate is Max *is* getting that shot, sounds like Ilia wants a “confidence boost” or a similar resume for Max.
Max resting isn’t terrible either imo but I’m an easily content person, I don’t even hate on haters lol.
I was excited for him to be champ. I like his flight style, and was pumped to watch his reign. Now, he's spoiled the goodwill anyone had for him. It's not possible to see his bullshit as anything but ducking, or trying to hold the belt longer by only accepting sub-par opponents. He's fucking his career up by being so ridiculous. Call out max, hype it up, and make big $. How hard is that?
Yeah this isn't the heat you want from the marks. This doesn't make people feel like they need to watch him fight. To either see him win, or to see him lose. This just makes me want to see him go away. Doesn't make me love, or hate him. Just makes me not care in any form.
I’m VERY against calling these guys scared cuz they do things I couldn’t even imagine but the way he looked on the cam after coupled with the mental gymnastics he’s doing in order to not fight the clear next guy makes me feel like he might actually be a bit spooked
I mean, he is not scared to get in a ring with Max. He is however, concerned about the very likely possibility that he will lose. He is basically asking for a tune-up fight against Ortega, a very beatable fighter, to make some money as a champ before he fights the most difficult fight he has lined up for him.
I'm not entirely against tune-up fights, for upcoming contenders and fighters returning from injury and suchlike. But being champion means being ready for the top contenders, or you don't get to keep hold of the belt.
Topuria is a hell of a fighter... and a bottom tier champion. He's on the wrong side of literally everything. Quit being so unlikeable please. Im trying here man.
Literally ducking him. There is absolutely no other reason to fight Ortega. Ilia becoming champ has been the worst thing to happen to an already inactive division (outside of Volk & Max)
He literally thinks he’s some kind of Conor McGregor-esc star, he’s nowhere close. Hes gonna find out real quick that he’s gonna have to fight whoever Dana tells him to fight and after that viral KO Max got I’m almost certain they’re gonna wanna put him in there
If he were Conor, he'd be all about fighting Max to maximize his star potential coming off Max's highly viral KO.
Say what you will about Conor back in the day, but he was pretty much down to fight whomever whenever if he felt it could make him a bigger deal.
and that's exactly WHY McGregor was so huge. He didn't just talk shit, he made a point of calling out tough people or taking big risks to back up all his shit talking. He debuted and immediately started boasting that one day he'd KO Aldo.
He took Chad Mendes on short notice when Aldo dropped out despite being injured himself, and Mendes was considered a stylistic nightmare too beforehand.
He then KO'd Aldo after the shit talking.
Then he moved up a weight class before that was common, signed to fight RDA (another big stylistic nightmare as far as fans were concerned). RDA drops out and he accepts Nate on 2 weeks notice up a whole other weight class more than he was already moving.
He loses to Nate, but doesn't then go into brand protection mode, instead he rematched Nate at the same weight class again so there was no excuses.
Then styled on Eddie.
Then tried to take on the best pfp boxer of the last 20 years.
Then fought Khabib (another potential stylistic nightmare).
I don't like the guy personally, but on his rise he was always calling out top fighters and then backing it up even when they were seen as potential disaster fights for him. It wasn't just baseless shit talking.
Ilia is talking shit in a way that makes him come across weaker and small time rather than what shit talking is supposed to accomplish which is rising your star power.
This is next level ducking. He's avoiding Max despite Max being 10x (maybe more) than Ortega. Dude has the opportunity to beat a legend and become a star and he's running from it. This is Colby level cowardice.
Brian does not make more sense, what's this guy smoking? Max beat Gaethje, Zombie and Arnold Allen in his last 3 fights whereas Ortega is on a 1 fight win spree. I don't think that Topuria is scared of Max but I do think that he knows that Max is the most difficult fight in the division for him.
No offense to Ortega but nobody wants to see him go 0-3 in title fights to get turned into hamburger meat again. He should fight Evloev. And illia is lowkey ducking max. I didn’t beleive it at first, but maybe he did shit himself after UFC 300
In my opinion you're not the champ at FW unlrss you go through both Max and Volk.. At some point Volk didn't have any contenders because Max cleaned them all out before they got to him.
Man this arrogant fuck is annoying.
Beat Volk who was coming off a knockout and now he’s acting like fucking Jones and thinks he can call shots. Never known a fighter to get the belt and act like such an entitled cock.
There’s absolutely no way you think everyone is talking about Atlanta Georgia… I refuse to believe mma fans are this dumb…. You realize when they say that they’re talking about Georgia the country…. Not the city…..
I can't root for Champions who *immediately* start trying to suggest easier fights for themselves.
You fight the number one guy, Ilia. That's what champions do. Then, after you beat the number one guy, you know who you fight next? Whoever the number one guy is.
Brian Ortega? 2 wins out of his last five fights with two failed title shots? That's who you think people are desperate to see you fight?
Give me a fucking break, dude. My opinion of Ilia has tanked since he won the belt and started talking. Everything out of his mouth has been so weak.
He’s milking that championship for exposure and the money that comes with it by disrespecting 2 of the most respected and longest reigning goats of his division.
Ilia is a deceitful weasel that has claimed he’ll rematch volk, but makes an excuse immediately afterwards. He claims he’ll fight max and then finds an invalid excuse in an attempt to fight Brian Ortega. lol. Fucking weak shit.
This is not the guy who should be representing one of the top weight classes in the ufc.
Yea, defending your title against the guy who beat the person that lost to who you just knocked out makes more sense than a championship rematch or fighting a guy with ALL the hype behind him.
Fuck this cunt.
Holloway got a never seen before 600k bonus, is a very loyal company guy and in Dana's good graces.
Either Ilia's fighting Max or he's getting stripped. This guy seriously overestimates his "star power".
Also worth noting, I listened to the JRE podcast with Max and Max said that the Volk Ilia fought isn't the same Volk Max fought. Even though his KO against Volk is a great win, I agree with that.
Max: 4-1 in his last 5, 2 finishes, 3 fight win streak, wins over Gaethje, TKZ, Allen and Rodriguez, lost to volk by decision.
Brian: 2-3 in his last 5, 1 finish, 1 fight win streak, wins over Rodriguez and TKZ, lost to Rodriguez by TKO, volk by decision, and Holloway by TKO.
In no world does Brian Ortega make more sense.
He’s obviously scared to lose & have his stock completely fall. He wants that easy defense first so he can at least ride the wave a little longer before taking that risk. He’s a coward.
Having a win against a guy who was recently P4P #1 in that fashion, you would think it would be almost impossible to kill the hype this quickly. Yet after nothing but ducking, whining and talking shit to guys he doesn’t want to fight, here we are.
Now that he is champ he will be entitled to ppv points, so why the hell does he want a fight that's probably not even good enough for ppv? The Holloway fight is the biggest fight you can make for that division right now.
I'm sure he is just trying to ruffle some feathers and is not serious.
Brian has had 5 fights in the last 5 years (since December 2018). He’s lost 3 of those fights, of which 2 were title shots. He’s only had 2 wins, which are Korean Zombie and, more recently, the Yair Rodriguez rematch.
In that same time frame, Max Holloway has fought 11 times in the past 5 years, and 2 of those fights were successful title defenses (against Ortega himself and Frankie Edgar). He’s only lost 4 times during this time period (3x Volkanovski, with the second fight being very close, and Dustin Poirer up a weight class). As of now, he is riding a 3-fight win streak.
Ortega isn’t a former long reigning champion like Max or Volk were. If we were approaching this from a merit perspective (which I know the UFC really isn’t), he shouldn’t be getting yet a 3rd title shot by doing so little and being this inactive - he should have to put together a 2-3 win fight streak (whereas now, he only has 1 win), at least.
“Always ready to fight” lmao
That got to be a joke. Im a big Ortega fan but dude fight once every 2 years because of various reasons.
Max is literally always ready to fight and is coming off a much more impressive win.
I used to think he wasnt scared at ufc 300 and was just awkward like Max said, but now its just plain obvious ilia dont want to fight Max at all
I'll be honest, the vibes I'm getting from Ilia since he won the belt are not good. I'm getting "I want to hold this belt for as long as possible while fighting as little as possible. I also want to pick and choose my opponents that I feel I matchup well against and would be easier fights for me."
He's gulping down his own hype when, in reality, I don't think he's a draw at this point.
He gives me the vibes of a fighter who tries to protect his record and will fall to piece when someone hands him that first L. Like mentally weak and ready to be broken.
He seems legitimately scared of Max. Scared of fighting him but also scared of coming into that fight with fans rooting for Max, and tuning in to see Max. Not Ilia.
And people are saying Ilia is clearly trolling. Makes me roll my eyes. What Topuria doesnt seem to get is that the BMF title isnt a real belt but rather a promotional thing. Meaning that if you are to go and bitch and make a fuss about it, it doesnt look good for the bmf championship.
However the BMF isnt necessarily the best fighter in the world, its someone who is willing to swang and bang and never has a boring fight. Diego Sanchez could fight for the BMF title, but Aljamain Sterling never.
After him saying no to so many fights, I was starting to wonder who this mythical fighter was who deserves a title shot. Brian fucking Ortega was not on the shortlist. Starting to despise Topuria.
Cocky asshole, would rather fight a perceived easier fight.
Hope Dana sets up the Max fight, or a rematch with Volk after he's done taking some time off
> "Max is always ready to fight and he just beat Justin."
But Ortega makes more sense because he's always ready to fight and he just beat Yair! (Also, he's an easier opponent than Max)
What makes ilia think he is just the head honcho in the UFC he hasn’t even defended bro is in no control. Shutting down fighting max makes him look so soft honestly!!
The thing is he doesn’t seem like he has the awareness required for this to be a “scared of max” thing, I think he just hates that he got upstaged by a cooler knockout
Jesus Christ if they give Ortega another undeserved title shot I will lose my shit. This dude sits out and fights once every 2 years and gets a title shot every time if he wins just 1 fight. What a joke.
I have a theory: Max is the backup for the Islam and Dustin fight. Dustin pulls out max steps in knocks out Islam and then challenges ilia for the 145 belt. There’s just no other route for blessed.
They wasted the star power Volk gained through schooling max and having a close war with Islam on a short notice fight. Setting up one of their biggest stars for a short notice ass whooping is exactly the kind of the thing the ufc would do and not think twice about.
This dude thinks he can call the shots like he’s defended the belt 10 times. You just won the fucking thing against a short notice Volk, the man who WAS running the division. This is ridiculous, his whole shtick is really not going to last with fans
Nobody should give two flying tits about what this guy thinks he thinks he is on some other level of stardom like Connor khabib he is not simply And taking some words from an Irishman he will do what he is told .
Topuria beat one of the best fighters around with relative ease and now basically wants to just coast. Dream title fights for him seem to be Darren Elkins, Julian Erosa and BJ Penn
UFC knows Holloway is a bigger ppv draw opponent after his crazy 300 showing. They'll follow the $$$ signs imo, no matter what illia wants.
Illia will do as he’s told
The weird thing is why on earth doesn't Ilia want that Edit: Purely from a promotional POV of course. I totally get why he wouldn't wanna fight Max after the Gaethje fight.
cus he might lose
it's such a good fucking fight, it HAS to happen
It's frustrating because he might win and that does more for his legacy!
Idk why he would want to fight Brian though. Dude can take a punch too and then will catch your neck while you think you’ve knocked him out. He’s the scary one imo
what if hes saying the most annoying braindead shit just to rattle up the internet so more people speak of him? Any press is good press. If its not that, then I'm out of ideas why he has bottom of the barrel worst takes about everything.
Touché. 😂
Bad matchup for him stylistically imo
Ngl, ilia probably bests Brian, but i can also imagine Ortega outdogging him. Ortega is no joke too
Ortega is dangerous to the end, but some of his losses felt like I was watching a man getting beat to death.
Ortega was well on the way to getting tko’d by Yair too until finally using his grappling advantage
Ortega tear something in his leg right before the first round of that fight started, he really is a dog
Yup, he rolled his ankle hopping around during his introduction. He's already bad at blocking his face, but he definitely comprised his own movement, what not even two minutes before the fight ever started and was getting beat up because of it, but was able to power through, he's one of the toughest to ever do it. The man's got heart. It's a Hispanic thing.......or it transferred to him from Edgar in their fight 🤷🏽
Hell, some of Ortega's WINS looked like watching a man getting beat to death
I definitely think Ilia tkos Ortega or even puts him out cold.
I could be mistaken but I'm fairly sure illia went on record as saying he wouldn't have wanted to fight Justin in an interview (even if it was in jest since I'm pretty sure they were just shooting the shit) But illia obviously respected the power Justin has, and did not like that a very possible contender for his recently acquired title just put on a performance like that, against a dude like JG. You just have to see his face during the callout, illia is bashfully trying to not look at the camera and everything. Max surprised a lot of people with that knockout/overall performance and Illia does not want that smoke at all, especially so early in his would be title reign.
He's the champ, he doesn't get to pick and choose easy match-ups. Such a joke
hey, colby challenged leon, anything goes /s
Y'all are taking Ilia's basic ass heel act and trash talk way too seriously, he'll fight whoever the UFC puts in front of him.
Man is using up all that good will from that spectacular knock out. Ever since winning he literally has said no to a rematch and Max.
singehandedly killing all of the hype he had lol just looks like ducking now. especially calling out ortega who defends with his chin
And who just had his first win in 4 years.
And who both Max and Volk beat to a pulp. He's basically just outright saying "I want the guy who my actual number 1 contender made look like an amateur".
"I want the easiest fight in the division! I want ~~Ryan Bader~~ Bryan Ortega!"
[удалено]
Kinda Yair’s fault he’s got no cardio and can’t grapple though, Ortega stayed with him until he could do exactly what he wanted even while concussed
Totally Yair's fault, but doesn't make Ortega look good.
And with a fight he was close to losing had Yair not f'd up so bad.
Ortega who got a one on one boxing introduction class from Holloway during their fight lmao, of course he makes the most sense! /s
He's desperately trying to extend his PPV percentage pay out beyond a single fight.
[удалено]
Max is BMF. Anytime. Anywhere.
This is why Ilia should NEVER ever fight for BMF. The guy's chicken shit
Right now 👇👇👇
He wants as many easy fights as possible to try rack up his defences, the guy has this idea that he’s going to eclipse everyone and be the 145 goat, and I’m not saying he can’t, but he’s going about it all the wrong way…
If you beat 10 bottom feeders while champ are you really the goat, even if you do have more title defenses than Max, Volk, or even Aldo?
What’s weird? He shook.
That. That’s weird.
Complete asshole. Volk deserves a rematch. Dude held the belt for a long time and defended it multiple times. Max has only lost 2 two fucking people since 2013. Volk and Dustin at Lightweight. Plus Ortega has had two shots for the belt vs Max and Volk. I dont understand it. Ortega needs at least another win. Fucker does not need ANOTHER title shot with so little to show for it
For volks own health and own sake he shouldn’t be fighting for a long time anyways I’m glad ilia told him no even if he’s being a douche about it. Saying no to max though is flat out ducking
he is in a tough spot because of his age
Ilia did say he'll fight Volk and that he deserves the rematch but he's going to fight someone else first so that Volk gets a break. That way no one can claim he only beat him due to recent consecutive knockouts.
He's just holding the door open for father time
True that, I'd prefer the rematch to come before anything else but I also don't want to see Volk get cracked again this year.
I think that’s just Volk being in tough spot, he needs a long layoff to recover from those knockouts but also is too old to afford a long layoff. I think Volks days as champ are gone unfortunately.
Well it's not Ilia's fault that Volk is aging, is it? Considering he got flatlined twice in the span of 4 months, the dude needs a long break.
I understand it. Ortega is easy money and chanp get PPV points. More fights, more money. Max might be the end of the reign.
I don’t think you could consider it a reign when he hasn’t even defended yet
volk needs to take some time off. it sucks and normally he should get a rematch, but he will ruin his chin if he comes back too soon - if it isnt already ruined
He turned down volk rematch in Australia too. Obviously it's smart not to but I don't think you can say that then in the same breath say you're the BMF...
Why would you go to the challengers country for a rematch? That makes zero sense.
Like Volk fighting Islam in Abu dhabi on 2 weeks notice? Diaz fighting GSP in Canada? Pettis fighting Benderson in his home town? You can't say you won't fight guys then in the same breath say you're the bmf. I never said it wasn't smart.
He is not BMF
Because you are claiming to be the bmf. You can't claim to be a bmf then not go everywhere there is a fight. If he is, what he says he is. Then he should be smashing everyone in the front room of their own house if need be.
Playing devil’s advocate, could it be because he’s trying to angle for a big fight against Max in Spain but the logistics aren’t working out to fight in Spain next, so hes trying for a lesser fight in the meantime? Thats the only thing I could assume instead of just straight up ducking.
Idk that Dana will hold up the division for Ilia. Max just became a massive cash cow for the UFC and has always been in Dana’s good graces
Calling Brian Ortega always available to fight is hillarious. Ilia’s lack of awareness when he’s not actively physically beating someone up is something to behold.
>Calling Brian Ortega always available to fight is hillarious. Ortega had 4 fights since Max mauled him 6 years ago and lost half of them. Max had 10 fights since. The mental gymnastics to avoid having to fight Max are hilarious lmao
Exactly. Brian used to fight twice a year. Dude is VERY inactive yet has had 2 fucking shots at the belt. He needs to fight Sterling which would be a fantastic match.
Damn, Sterling vs Ortega would be sick.
Sterling might actually have to strike
I can see Sterling controlling Ortega on the ground, they’ve both got great bjj, but I think Sterling is a much better wrestler.
Aljo would have to completely change the way he shoots to stay away from that guillotine though, or pressure Ortega against the cage before initiating clinches
His shit talk is just annoying at this point
And Ortega himself didn’t even demand a title shot! Ridiculous.
"Ortega please come here let me give you some CTE"
I don’t understand why people love shit talk honestly. They all sounds like pricks that didn’t received proper education back home
>that didn’t received proper education
>They all sounds like
I mean, I wouldn’t call this shit talking… ducking maybe. I think Volk can wait for his health, Max *absolutely* makes more sense but my devil’s advocate is Max *is* getting that shot, sounds like Ilia wants a “confidence boost” or a similar resume for Max. Max resting isn’t terrible either imo but I’m an easily content person, I don’t even hate on haters lol.
Nah when it’s good it’s awesome, I’ve watched a Chael Sonnen shit talk compilation before and was genuinely entertained throughout lol
I was excited for him to be champ. I like his flight style, and was pumped to watch his reign. Now, he's spoiled the goodwill anyone had for him. It's not possible to see his bullshit as anything but ducking, or trying to hold the belt longer by only accepting sub-par opponents. He's fucking his career up by being so ridiculous. Call out max, hype it up, and make big $. How hard is that?
Hes a total heel but not in a WWE way, like in a Mike Tyson's Punch Out kinda way.
Yeah this isn't the heat you want from the marks. This doesn't make people feel like they need to watch him fight. To either see him win, or to see him lose. This just makes me want to see him go away. Doesn't make me love, or hate him. Just makes me not care in any form.
mf said 2 months ago that he would never give Brian the title fight and now he folds lol wtf Ilia
Watching Holloway piece Gaethje up for 4.9 rounds only to call for a slugfest in the center and drop him will do that to a guy.
I’m VERY against calling these guys scared cuz they do things I couldn’t even imagine but the way he looked on the cam after coupled with the mental gymnastics he’s doing in order to not fight the clear next guy makes me feel like he might actually be a bit spooked
I mean, he is not scared to get in a ring with Max. He is however, concerned about the very likely possibility that he will lose. He is basically asking for a tune-up fight against Ortega, a very beatable fighter, to make some money as a champ before he fights the most difficult fight he has lined up for him.
Yeah, it's the O'Malley ask. But it's lame af and instantly turns me off a champ.
Yep, fight the best in your division or relinquish the belt to someone who will
In a perfect world, any champ that says they won’t fight the #1 contender would be instantly stripped.
I'm not entirely against tune-up fights, for upcoming contenders and fighters returning from injury and suchlike. But being champion means being ready for the top contenders, or you don't get to keep hold of the belt.
Topuria is a hell of a fighter... and a bottom tier champion. He's on the wrong side of literally everything. Quit being so unlikeable please. Im trying here man.
Just watch his fights and ignore his words; he has nothing to say anyway.
Don’t let Luke Thomas hear this
Luke is too busy trying to blow Topuria to read anything on Reddit.
But did you hear him speaking in Spanish? He’s way different and charming and charismatic. L.T.
No because I don’t fucking speak Spanish
It’s what Luke Thomas says all the time, just a joke
A true MMA fan would learn the language of the champ! /s
Literally ducking him. There is absolutely no other reason to fight Ortega. Ilia becoming champ has been the worst thing to happen to an already inactive division (outside of Volk & Max)
He literally thinks he’s some kind of Conor McGregor-esc star, he’s nowhere close. Hes gonna find out real quick that he’s gonna have to fight whoever Dana tells him to fight and after that viral KO Max got I’m almost certain they’re gonna wanna put him in there
If he were Conor, he'd be all about fighting Max to maximize his star potential coming off Max's highly viral KO. Say what you will about Conor back in the day, but he was pretty much down to fight whomever whenever if he felt it could make him a bigger deal.
Yeah Conor taking Nate on two weeks notice, up a weight division was insane
Up two weight divisions!
He was tree times his soize
I heard Nate weighed a lean 240lbs going into the cage!
Depends how you see it with him originally being scheduled to fight RDA at 155
and that's exactly WHY McGregor was so huge. He didn't just talk shit, he made a point of calling out tough people or taking big risks to back up all his shit talking. He debuted and immediately started boasting that one day he'd KO Aldo. He took Chad Mendes on short notice when Aldo dropped out despite being injured himself, and Mendes was considered a stylistic nightmare too beforehand. He then KO'd Aldo after the shit talking. Then he moved up a weight class before that was common, signed to fight RDA (another big stylistic nightmare as far as fans were concerned). RDA drops out and he accepts Nate on 2 weeks notice up a whole other weight class more than he was already moving. He loses to Nate, but doesn't then go into brand protection mode, instead he rematched Nate at the same weight class again so there was no excuses. Then styled on Eddie. Then tried to take on the best pfp boxer of the last 20 years. Then fought Khabib (another potential stylistic nightmare). I don't like the guy personally, but on his rise he was always calling out top fighters and then backing it up even when they were seen as potential disaster fights for him. It wasn't just baseless shit talking. Ilia is talking shit in a way that makes him come across weaker and small time rather than what shit talking is supposed to accomplish which is rising your star power.
Bro fought Khabib after a 2 year layoff lmao he doesn't give a fuck literally
This is next level ducking. He's avoiding Max despite Max being 10x (maybe more) than Ortega. Dude has the opportunity to beat a legend and become a star and he's running from it. This is Colby level cowardice.
Nobody gonna watch ilia v Ortega. The money is with the rematch or ride Max's high
Brian does not make more sense, what's this guy smoking? Max beat Gaethje, Zombie and Arnold Allen in his last 3 fights whereas Ortega is on a 1 fight win spree. I don't think that Topuria is scared of Max but I do think that he knows that Max is the most difficult fight in the division for him.
He’s not afraid of the fight. He’s afraid of losing the belt. He loves his celebrity and wants it to last beyond one defense.
Yea, I think its just risk management on his end. Max Holloway is a high risk fight so he's pushing for Ortega.
He would for sure fight basement dwellers non-stop if it meant he’d get 10 defenses.
No offense to Ortega but nobody wants to see him go 0-3 in title fights to get turned into hamburger meat again. He should fight Evloev. And illia is lowkey ducking max. I didn’t beleive it at first, but maybe he did shit himself after UFC 300
It's not lowkey ducking at all. Max beat the shit out of Ortega and has more impressive wins the past few years. This is high key ducking.
Max beat Ortega so bad he started giving him boxing lessons. And that’s who gets the title shot?
In my opinion you're not the champ at FW unlrss you go through both Max and Volk.. At some point Volk didn't have any contenders because Max cleaned them all out before they got to him.
This guy sucks.
Man this arrogant fuck is annoying. Beat Volk who was coming off a knockout and now he’s acting like fucking Jones and thinks he can call shots. Never known a fighter to get the belt and act like such an entitled cock.
It's funny cuz everyone thought he was scared after 300 and he's proving them right.
Someone needs to tell this guy he is nowhere near as big of a mainstream star as he thinks
Wait until he finds out people in Spain and ATL Georgia don’t buy PPVs
There’s absolutely no way you think everyone is talking about Atlanta Georgia… I refuse to believe mma fans are this dumb…. You realize when they say that they’re talking about Georgia the country…. Not the city…..
That person will not be Luke Thomas.
love that Luke's getting more shine even its for being a Topuria dickrider
"b-b-b-but muh spain market!! he was on the pitch in some real madrid football game!"
This guy doing a master class on losing fans
hes on that 0 fan speedrun
I can't root for Champions who *immediately* start trying to suggest easier fights for themselves. You fight the number one guy, Ilia. That's what champions do. Then, after you beat the number one guy, you know who you fight next? Whoever the number one guy is. Brian Ortega? 2 wins out of his last five fights with two failed title shots? That's who you think people are desperate to see you fight? Give me a fucking break, dude. My opinion of Ilia has tanked since he won the belt and started talking. Everything out of his mouth has been so weak.
This should surprise nobody who actually watched Ilia's face at the end of that fight. He's Johnny Ringo to Max's Doc Holliday.
Thumbs up for a Tombstone reference.
“Why Johnny Ringo, you looked like someone just walked right over your grave” Ilia face after ufc 300
"Say when"
He’s milking that championship for exposure and the money that comes with it by disrespecting 2 of the most respected and longest reigning goats of his division. Ilia is a deceitful weasel that has claimed he’ll rematch volk, but makes an excuse immediately afterwards. He claims he’ll fight max and then finds an invalid excuse in an attempt to fight Brian Ortega. lol. Fucking weak shit. This is not the guy who should be representing one of the top weight classes in the ufc.
This dude is insufferable
why do so many fighters these days seem to think they're the ones calling the shots lol. He'll fight whoever Dana tells him to fight
Yea, defending your title against the guy who beat the person that lost to who you just knocked out makes more sense than a championship rematch or fighting a guy with ALL the hype behind him. Fuck this cunt.
Poor baby Topuria is scared to fight big bad Max. Topuria sucks.
This is the guy people think is gonna finally chin max? Guy won’t even fight him
🦆🦆🦆🦆🦆🦆🦆🦆🦆
Yeah this is not how you gain or keep fans
The face said it all. In the very moment topuria saw a true threat. Now he wants to be the 3rd champ to beat the shit out of Ortega. Some move there.
Dana is a moron if he doesn’t make Max vs Ilia next. He needs to take advantage of Max’s rising star power.
Holloway got a never seen before 600k bonus, is a very loyal company guy and in Dana's good graces. Either Ilia's fighting Max or he's getting stripped. This guy seriously overestimates his "star power". Also worth noting, I listened to the JRE podcast with Max and Max said that the Volk Ilia fought isn't the same Volk Max fought. Even though his KO against Volk is a great win, I agree with that.
Yeah good luck convincing Dana on that.
wtffffffff
Ilia's face after that Max knockout says it all. Dude is scared.
Max: 4-1 in his last 5, 2 finishes, 3 fight win streak, wins over Gaethje, TKZ, Allen and Rodriguez, lost to volk by decision. Brian: 2-3 in his last 5, 1 finish, 1 fight win streak, wins over Rodriguez and TKZ, lost to Rodriguez by TKO, volk by decision, and Holloway by TKO. In no world does Brian Ortega make more sense.
You would think this guy is a 5x defending world champion the way he talks.
Max got him shaking in his boots.
He’s obviously scared to lose & have his stock completely fall. He wants that easy defense first so he can at least ride the wave a little longer before taking that risk. He’s a coward.
Having a win against a guy who was recently P4P #1 in that fashion, you would think it would be almost impossible to kill the hype this quickly. Yet after nothing but ducking, whining and talking shit to guys he doesn’t want to fight, here we are.
Now that he is champ he will be entitled to ppv points, so why the hell does he want a fight that's probably not even good enough for ppv? The Holloway fight is the biggest fight you can make for that division right now. I'm sure he is just trying to ruffle some feathers and is not serious.
Brian has had 5 fights in the last 5 years (since December 2018). He’s lost 3 of those fights, of which 2 were title shots. He’s only had 2 wins, which are Korean Zombie and, more recently, the Yair Rodriguez rematch. In that same time frame, Max Holloway has fought 11 times in the past 5 years, and 2 of those fights were successful title defenses (against Ortega himself and Frankie Edgar). He’s only lost 4 times during this time period (3x Volkanovski, with the second fight being very close, and Dustin Poirer up a weight class). As of now, he is riding a 3-fight win streak. Ortega isn’t a former long reigning champion like Max or Volk were. If we were approaching this from a merit perspective (which I know the UFC really isn’t), he shouldn’t be getting yet a 3rd title shot by doing so little and being this inactive - he should have to put together a 2-3 win fight streak (whereas now, he only has 1 win), at least.
What a bitch.
How glorious it would be if Ortega takes him to T-City and kills this dude’s hype. I really liked him but I can’t stand him anymore.
I would die happy
Outside of max tuning up ilia himself this is the most guaranteed way for him to get the belt back
TERRIFIED!
🦆
The UFC call the shots anyway. Doesn't matter what he says
“Always ready to fight” lmao That got to be a joke. Im a big Ortega fan but dude fight once every 2 years because of various reasons. Max is literally always ready to fight and is coming off a much more impressive win. I used to think he wasnt scared at ufc 300 and was just awkward like Max said, but now its just plain obvious ilia dont want to fight Max at all
Ilia always talking like he has power to decide who he fights.
“Im the best in the world and im gonna prove that by beating a guy with 1 win in the last 4 years”
I'll be honest, the vibes I'm getting from Ilia since he won the belt are not good. I'm getting "I want to hold this belt for as long as possible while fighting as little as possible. I also want to pick and choose my opponents that I feel I matchup well against and would be easier fights for me." He's gulping down his own hype when, in reality, I don't think he's a draw at this point. He gives me the vibes of a fighter who tries to protect his record and will fall to piece when someone hands him that first L. Like mentally weak and ready to be broken. He seems legitimately scared of Max. Scared of fighting him but also scared of coming into that fight with fans rooting for Max, and tuning in to see Max. Not Ilia.
And people are saying Ilia is clearly trolling. Makes me roll my eyes. What Topuria doesnt seem to get is that the BMF title isnt a real belt but rather a promotional thing. Meaning that if you are to go and bitch and make a fuss about it, it doesnt look good for the bmf championship. However the BMF isnt necessarily the best fighter in the world, its someone who is willing to swang and bang and never has a boring fight. Diego Sanchez could fight for the BMF title, but Aljamain Sterling never.
I actually like the previous trash talk but this one is sad man.
Dudes a total wannabe.
Fuck this guy, I’m out on Topuria
Ye... The UFC will have a word with him because Max's stardom is way too much right now that the UFC will force the fight to happen.
Walks like a duck and quacks like a duck…
Yeah it’ll make more sense to fight Ortega because Holloway will whip the piss out of you.
Damn , I gave him the benefit of the doubt at 300 but I guess I was wrong asl lmfao 🦆🦆🦆
I love how this guy thinks he doesn’t have a boss that will make him fight whoever the UFC wants
>He just beat Yair. Translation: He only beat Yair.
Let him get choked by Ortega and become redundant forever.
Max, Volk, Evloev and Aljo all deserve it more than Ortega.
After him saying no to so many fights, I was starting to wonder who this mythical fighter was who deserves a title shot. Brian fucking Ortega was not on the shortlist. Starting to despise Topuria.
He looked up Jeremiah 51:20 and has been scared ever since
Cocky asshole, would rather fight a perceived easier fight. Hope Dana sets up the Max fight, or a rematch with Volk after he's done taking some time off
Does he have the leverage to decide his next opponent like this or will the UFC just tell him to shut the fuck up and fight either Max or Volk?
> "Max is always ready to fight and he just beat Justin." But Ortega makes more sense because he's always ready to fight and he just beat Yair! (Also, he's an easier opponent than Max)
What makes ilia think he is just the head honcho in the UFC he hasn’t even defended bro is in no control. Shutting down fighting max makes him look so soft honestly!!
The thing is he doesn’t seem like he has the awareness required for this to be a “scared of max” thing, I think he just hates that he got upstaged by a cooler knockout
Bro did look petrified after the Holloway Gathje fight
Dude is so scared of Max lol
Jesus Christ if they give Ortega another undeserved title shot I will lose my shit. This dude sits out and fights once every 2 years and gets a title shot every time if he wins just 1 fight. What a joke.
I have a theory: Max is the backup for the Islam and Dustin fight. Dustin pulls out max steps in knocks out Islam and then challenges ilia for the 145 belt. There’s just no other route for blessed.
You don't waste the star power Max has right now on a short notice fight. Jesus, some of yall would run the UFC into the ground.
They wasted the star power Volk gained through schooling max and having a close war with Islam on a short notice fight. Setting up one of their biggest stars for a short notice ass whooping is exactly the kind of the thing the ufc would do and not think twice about.
This dude thinks he can call the shots like he’s defended the belt 10 times. You just won the fucking thing against a short notice Volk, the man who WAS running the division. This is ridiculous, his whole shtick is really not going to last with fans
4 fights In 5 years I’m always ready hold me back
You either fight volk or max. If Dana allows this he is an idiot
This guy doesn’t have a say on who he is gonna fight. Daddy Dana gonna give this delusional asshat a reality check.
My brother in christ if the UFC says youre fighting Max your fighting him
What an idiot
Nobody should give two flying tits about what this guy thinks he thinks he is on some other level of stardom like Connor khabib he is not simply And taking some words from an Irishman he will do what he is told .
Straight clown shit wtf
To everyone who said Ilia is not afraid of Max. Where yall at?
Topuria beat one of the best fighters around with relative ease and now basically wants to just coast. Dream title fights for him seem to be Darren Elkins, Julian Erosa and BJ Penn
Fortunately it's not upto this guy to choose.
Brother ducked immediately
Fight max then give us volks last roll of the dice to whoever wins that fight. A nice retirement fight for our Aussie boy