Max Holloway sent a message to Ilia Topuria ahead of their blockbuster fight later this month.

Holloway challenges Topuria for the UFC featherweight title in the main event of UFC 308 Oct. 26 in Abu Dhabi. Holloway, the current BMF champ after his incredible knockout of Justin Gaethje at UFC 300, let Topuria know who the real “BMF” titleholder is in a recent Instagram post.

Holloway and Topuria recently had a heated combo interview with Brendan Fitzgerald, where Topuria put a BMF title on his shoulder. In the post, Holloway says his belt was “earned not bought.”

Topuria captured the UFC featherweight title with a brutal knockout of Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 in February. “El Matador” improved his overall record to 15-0, including a 7-0 start to his surging UFC career.

Holloway lost the featherweight title to Volkanovski, and came up short in two other rematches. Since a lopsided decision loss to Volkanovski in their third meeting at UFC 276 in July 2022, “Blessed” is 3-0 with wins over Gaethje, Arnold Allen, and Chan Sung Jung.

Pete Murray is excited to kick off a new format for PFL’s championships.

Two new superfight belts will be introduced at PFL: Battle of the Giants Oct. 19 at The Mayadeen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (ESPN+ pay-per-view, DAZN).

In the main event, former UFC champion Francis Ngannou (17-3) takes on 2023 PFL champion Renan Ferreira (13-3). In the co-main event, Cris Cyborg (27-2-1) will look to collect her fifth belt in a major organization when she faces two-time PFL champion Larissa Pacheco (23-4).

“The PFL superfights belt, first time we as a company and organization have a belt where it must be won, but it also must be defended on an ongoing basis,” Murray told MMA Junkie Radio. “Typically, our global season belts, they recognize those champions for the year, and they’re forever that year’s champion. But this is a different belt, a different format for us. So both Francis and Cris want to be the first ones to raise those belts, but Renan and Larissa, two Brazilians, they’re going to bring it.”

The PFL CEO sees Ferreira and Pacheco as the future of MMA.

“Larissa, two-time PFL champion, women’s 155 then she took on 145,” Murray said. “She’s women’s 145 champion, two belts. She’s fierce, she’s really grown into being a bonafide world champion. She’s wanted this fight for a really long time. So when you think about the GOATs in Francis and in Cris, up against Renan and Larissa, that’s really the future.

“These younger fighters in their prime – again, Francis still in his prime, Cris in her prime, not many can dance with either of them, but they’ve had a storied career, both of them. Renan and Larissa, they’re the future. They’re looking to make their mark now, and they deserve this fight. These are both legitimate opponents for both Francis and Cris.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL: Battle of the Giants.

Raquel Pennington may have lost her title because of two judges’ scorecards, but she still believes she’s the champion after UFC 307.

Pennington put her bantamweight title on the line for the first time against longtime rival Julianna Peña in the co-main event of the UFC’s recent pay-per-view card in Salt Lake City. Peña regained the title via split decision, but it came with controversy, as the majority of the MMA community scored the fight for Pennington — including a near-unanimous nod on MMA Decisions.

Not only did the media members that posted cards score it for the now-former champion, but according to Pennington, a number of figureheads — including a couple high up in the UFC hierarchy — saw the fight the same.

“When it comes to these judges, they need to make it very clear because a lot of them say that the damaging shots are what’s scoring,” Pennington told MMA Fighting. “I had the damaging shots [in the first round], and it just gets frustrating. It gets frustrating from just being a competitor and the athlete in that situation, but not even just my fight. I have no idea what the judges were seeing that night in general. I even feel bad for Jose Aldo. His fight was the same thing.

“It’s just crazy to me what these judges do. At the end of the day, you have competitive fights, they go to the decisions, and it just takes that one person to take away everything from somebody and I feel like they just really don’t realize what they’re doing and yet, they’re the ones with the best seat in the house. They’re the ones that are supposed to be doing the best job.

“And it’s crazy to me how every single media outlet, like there wasn’t even one that said Pena [won]. It was every single media outlet [that] said Pennington. I’ve had numerous top athletes reach out to me. I’ve had Dana White, freaking Hunter [Campbell], Joe Rogan, Jon Anik, [Daniel Cormier], everybody who’s sitting right there and everybody is just like, ‘No way. We don’t understand this.’ Nobody understood it. I didn’t understand it.”

The loss put a halt to Pennington’s six-fight win streak.

The final four rounds were easy to score for all who watched — the second and third for Peña, fourth and fifth for Pennington, including a fourth round that saw Pennington hurt Peña with a head kick early and then drop Peña with a big punch shortly thereafter. The first round, which two judges scored for Peña, was the deciding factor.

When it was over, Pennington says she was never more confident she had won the fight, until she heard Bruce Buffer announce Peña as the new champion.

“They had my family lined up ready to come in there and then when they announced it, they were like, ‘Is Bruce like playing a joke here?’” Pennington said. “It was all really weird but I wasn’t the only athlete on that card that situations happen to, and you see it happen in multiple other events. It’s honestly just sad. There should be different qualifications or something for these judges.

“They need to look into it a little bit different because this happens way too often.”

After the win, Peña called for a trilogy fight with the now-retired Amanda Nunes — one of the all-time greats that has teased a possible return — despite the broadcast going to a split-screen with prior UFC 307 winner Kayla Harrison.

In Pennington’s eyes, she believes two things should happen. One, the UFC considers an open scoring model to help with some of the shoddy scorecards that have become more frequent. And also, Pennington feels like the real bantamweight title fight should be between her and Harrison.

“I feel like something definitely needs to change with it,” Pennington explained. “I know a lot of athletes have spoken about open scoring … that might play out for more exciting fights, which is lighting a fire under people, but something definitely just needs to change, in general.

“But at the end of the day, I mean, it is what it is. I personally don’t feel like I lost that fight at all. My head is high. I do want the rematch, but with that being said, we all know Julianna sits around forever — whether it’s an injury or she just… she tends to sit around forever. I definitely want the rematch and stuff, but at the end of the day, I feel like the real world title fight comes from me and Kayla. I think it would be an exciting fight and a completely different challenge and then let Julianna do whatever the hell she wants to do right now.

“I do want to get back to the world title and I want my belt back. So I don’t know, the frustration’s there, I don’t really have words for it all and whatnot, but at the end of the day it’s competition, they gave her the win. So whatever, congratulations to her. I definitely know I’m going to be back stronger and better than ever, and I’m motivated on a completely different level. I have no injuries. I did go get my hands X-rayed from cracking her so hard. My hands are definitely hurt, but aside from that, I came out of that fight completely healthy. I’ll be back. …

“At the end of the day, like, I still feel like a champion. So it doesn’t matter.”

During the continuation of its historic 50th season Saturday, NBC sketch comedy show “Saturday Night Live” took aim at the UFC.

Harnessing the absurd vocal talent of guest host Ariana Grande, a master impressionist, a pre-taped commercial spoof had the singer playing another legendary musician, Canadian singer Celine Dion – of whom Grande does a spot-on impression.

In the bit, Grande plays Dion doing a promo for UFC 308, which takes place Oct. 26 in Abu Dhabi. She sings parts from Dion’s 1996 cover of “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now,” but changes the words to make them appropriate for the octagon.

While swapping out original verse for things like “There was breaking of bones, and there were knees to the balls,” Grande sings over vintage UFC highlights. “A woman with the tightest French braids – and the flattest face” is former women’s strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk in the highlights. “An angry man with a cauliflower ear and a sideways nose” is Mike Perry. The hush of the crowd as a 300-pound Bosnian vomits up his own teeth. This is the UFC.”

The spoof even gives a playful nudge at the UFC’s revoloving-door broadcast booth and its “dozens of commentators, all bald and in the shiniest of shirts.”

Check out the video from Season 50 of “Saturday Night Live” above with host Grande. The episode also featured musical guest Stevie Nicks.

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