Aljamain Sterling: What happens if Max Holloway can 'set a little fatigue' in Ilia Topuria at UFC 308?

Aljamain Sterling sees cardio as a big question mark in UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria’s game.

Topuria (15-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) makes his first title defense against Max Holloway (26-7 MMA, 22-7 UFC) in the UFC 308 headliner Oct. 26 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+).

Topuria knocked out Alexander Volkanovski in the second round to claim the title at UFC 298. Sterling thinks Volkanovski had early success before getting caught.

“Topuria is a savage, the guy can crack, but he struggled with Volkanovski in the first round,” Sterling said on “Verse Us with Eric Nicksick“. “And if Volk stuck to his Ps and Qs, just doing what he was doing that helped him win the first round – long jab, inside leg kick, use your footwork, have Topuria swinging at you and missing, or just barely grazing you, but getting out of the way and landing the better shots. He was starting to wear it on his face. His eye, his nose, busted him up.

“Then he tries to exchange with Topuria on the cage and gets knocked out. Enter Max Holloway: great footwork, high guard, long punches. He has a shorter reach than Volkanovski, but his footwork is what helps him so much in his fights, and he’s got great durability. So if he gets back to his kicking game and stays in his range – Topuria, I think, is 5’6,” maybe 5’7.” Max has a shorter reach for a guy at 145 pounds. I think it’s like 67, 68 (inches). Topuria’s got great grappling, but Max has great takedown defense.”

Holloway, who’s never been knocked out, is known for his durability. He has prevailed in numerous five-round wars, but Sterling wonders if Topuria could do the same if he’s dragged to deep waters.

“If Max could stay on his bike and touch him from the outside, it would be very interesting to see what happens in the later rounds,” Sterling said. “We haven’t seen Topuria exhausted or tired yet. In Round 5 with Josh Emmett, he was in the driver’s seat the whole time, but what happens if you could set a little fatigue in him?

“Him having some failed takedown attempts, or even if he gets the takedowns and Max can get back up, it makes the fight very interesting where he starts to use up a lot more energy than expected. He’s always in your face with those spinning back kicks. If Max gets back to the old-school Max, it’s a very intriguing fight.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.