Holloway denies mocking Topuria’s English ahead of UFC 308

Max Holloway insists he did not intend to make fun of Ilia Topuria’s ability to speak English during the pair’s recent pre-fight interview heading into UFC 308 this Sunday (AEDT).

During the conversation, Holloway interjected and told Topuria to “speak” when he was mumbling his words.

The American received criticism in the aftermath, with some alleging that he was making a mockery of Topuria’s English.

“I need to clear this up,” Holloway said on Tuesday.

“A lot of people were giving me heat for teasing him how he spoke English.

“I wasn’t teasing that he was speaking English. I know he speaks like five languages.

“I speak one language and I have a hard time speaking English. I have a hard time saying names.

“I understand how hard speaking one language is. I wasn’t teasing his language.”

Rather than teasing his English-speaking ability, Holloway was calling the Georgian out on what he believed to be scripted responses.

“What I was teasing was that he sounded so scripted,” he said.

“Then every time he went off of his scripted words, he started mumbling or he would say ‘shut the f*** up, motherf***er.’

“I’m like, brother, you’re so scripted right now.

“That’s why I teased him.

“I’m like speak. Stop using your scripted lines.

“Everything he was saying was scripted.

“As soon as it wasn’t scripted, he didn’t know what to say.”

This weekend in Abu Dhabi will mark the pair’s first meeting in the UFC, with both men riding win streaks into the main event.

Topuria is undefeated across his career, with seven of his 15 wins coming since his UFC debut in 2020.

Holloway has won three in a row since losing to Alexander Volkanovski in 2022, and he comes into UFC 308 off the back of an impressive last-gasp knockout of Justin Gaethje in April 2024.

UFC betting sites have the reigning featherweight champion priced as a red-hot favourite at -250, with Holloway paying +205 to reclaim the title he held from 2016–2019.

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