Is BMF Belt On The Line At UFC 308?

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Ilia Topuria is the featherweight champion while Max Holloway is the “BMF” belt holder.

When they collide atop the upcoming UFC 308 pay-per-view (PPV) event, recently made official for Sat., Oct. 26, 2024 at Etihad Arena on “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi, UAE, only one championship strap will be up for grabs. And that’s just fine with the 145-pound titleholder, who expects to end the “BMF” stupidity in emphatic fashion.

“No, the BMF title is not going to be on the line,” Topuria told MMA Junkie. “To be honest, I don’t care. They took that decision and at the end of the day it’s like, when I’m going to beat him, he can’t say he’s a BMF or however they want to call him. I’m just concentrating on my title defense and that’s it. I don’t care about anything else.”

“What makes me so excited about this fight is that no one could knock him out. There’s no way I’m not going to knock him out. I will be the first one to knock him out because every time I watch him fight I’m like, ‘I’m way better than him.’ If you put me with him in kickboxing or boxing, even in a chess match, I beat him.”

This marks the first title defense for the undefeated Topuria, who captured the crown with a second-round finish over Alex Volkanovski at UFC 298 back in February. “El Matador” has been criticized for dragging his feet in the months following his crowning achievement but can put those complaints to bed by finishing Holloway at UFC 308.

“Blessed” is currently the betting underdog for his Abu Dhabi return.