Chael Sonnen says Topuria vs. Holloway ends by KO

Chael Sonnen doubts Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway will go the gap.

Topuria (15-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) defends his featherweight title towards Holloway (26-7 MMA, 22-7 UFC) within the UFC 308 principal occasion Oct. 26 at Etihad Enviornment on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+).

Topuria gained the featherweight title by knocking out Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298. Holloway by no means has been knocked out in his profession, however Sonnen says that’s the one manner he envisions Topuria getting his hand raised.

“So what is going to occur if Topuria knocks out Max Holloway, which, by the best way, I feel is the one manner he’s going to beat him,” Sonnen mentioned on his YouTube channel. “I feel certainly one of these guys has received to cease the opposite one as a result of that coronary heart and that grit, that ‘I’m coming after you, I’m going to maintain on making an attempt to win,’ I don’t assume that’s a change that will get flipped off.”

In his first and solely five-round combat in June 2023, “El Matador” was in a position to maintain a frenetic tempo to batter Josh Emmett for 25 minutes in a Struggle of the Evening battle. Regardless of passing that take a look at comfortably, Sonnen thinks there are nonetheless some query marks surrounding Topuria’s profession.

“We have to be fairly truthful with Ilia Topuria. We don’t know a ton,” Sonnen mentioned. “One of many occasions the place Topuria, for me, actually opened my eyes was this combat with Josh Emmett, and that’s a combat that you simply guys most likely don’t even consider. That was a combat, with me, the place I stood again and go, ‘Hey, wait a minute. There’s one thing right here.’”

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