Max Holloway responded to his former opponent’s recent social media statement.
It was reported on Wednesday that Ilia Topuria wouldn’t be making his return early in 2026 like many fans had hoped for.
The undefeated lightweight champion is one of the biggest stars on the roster, which made him a likely candidate to be a part of the UFC’s schedule once they move to Paramount+ at the start of 2026.
Topuria’s own post about his plans confirmed that it will be several months before we see him back inside the Octagon to defend his title for the first time.
After ‘El Matador’ shared the reasoning behind this delay, he received some kind words from an opponent that he locked horns with in 2024.
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Max Holloway calls Ilia topuria to apologize for his UFC delay
Ilia Topuria defeated Max Holloway in the main event at UFC 308 to earn his only and sole defense of the featherweight title.
Holloway, Topuria and others have been taking shots at each other since their highly anticipated fight in 2024.
However, that didn’t stop the reigning BMF champion from sharing a message of support to his former opponent.
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Topuria said: “a difficult moment in his personal life” is the reason why returning to the UFC isn’t his priority right now, Holloway was able to relate to the first man to knock him out.
‘Blessed’ wrote back a sympathetic message on X, temporarily burying the hatchet with his fellow lightweight.
“Sorry to hear champ,” Holloway wrote. “If it’s what I’m hearing it is I know the struggle first hand trying to fight while protecting your kids. Hope all goes well.”
“Thanks for the support, brother,”Topuria answered. “All the best for you and your family.”
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2025-11-28 01:00:00
