Please explain how the altitude would affect more Topuria than Max.
Alicante, Spain is at 3M (about 10 feet above sea level). Honolulu is at 5M (a bit over 16 feet above sea level). But I don’t think anybody referring to it being an advantage for Max are talking about where they live, and train. Because those are basically the same.
I think people are more referring to the fact Max has elite cardio. He’s gone 5 rounds with the best. Including LW like Dustin, and Justin.
Topuria has only gone 3 rounds once. That was with Zalal in Abu Dhabi (27M above sea level). And 5 rounds once against Emmett in Jacksonville (Also about 5M above sea level).
If Topuria’s team know their shit they will have that guy in Utah at least 3 weeks before the fight. 4 would be better.
Max has fought in Denver, and Broomfield, CO (higher elevation than SLC). And all over the map. Edmonton, Toronto, and Saskatoon in Canada. 6 different countries. 12 different States. He’s fought in many different climates, and conditions. That has to be at least a tiny advantage, imo.
Max will know how the elevation will affect him, because he’s fought in worse conditions before. But it looks like Vegas is the highest elevation Topuria’s fought at since joining the UFC. Though he did have a fight in Bogota pre-UFC. He beat some guy with no Wiki page by sub in 1:15. It was a Brave CF card.
So that’s not exactly the same as headlining a UFC ppv card fighting Max Holloway in SLC. As the first attempted defence of his belt. Most of his fights are basically at sea level, and Las Vegas. Except that Bogota fight a year before he joined the UFC.
They could conceivably screw that part of his fight preparations up. But if anybody near him has a clue they won’t let Topuria take anything about this fight too lightly.
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