Alexander Volkanovski of Australia celebrates after his split-decision victory over Max Holloway in their UFC featherweight championship fight during the UFC 251 event at Flash Forum on UFC Fight Island on July 12, 2020 on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Alexander Volkanovski Open to Granting Ilia Topuria a Shot at UFC Featherweight Title
The UFC featherweight division is buzzing with excitement following Ilia Topuria’s dominant win over Josh Emmett at UFC on ABC 5. Topuria’s undefeated record and impressive performance have caught the attention of fans and fighters alike, including reigning champion Alexander Volkanovski.
Volkanovski, who is set to face interim champ Yair Rodriguez in a title unification bout at UFC 290, has expressed his willingness to give Topuria a shot at the 145-pound belt. While some debate whether Topuria has earned the opportunity, Volkanovski sees him as a worthy contender and hopes the UFC grants him the next title shot.
Despite being focused on his upcoming bout against Yair Rodriguez, Volkanovski has shown his support for Topuria and believes he is a legitimate contender. In an interview on “DC & RC” with Daniel Cormier and Ryan Clark, Volkanovski expressed his preference for Topuria to be next in line for a title shot. The reigning champion acknowledges Topuria’s skills and sees him as a great fighter. Volkanovski also appreciates the enthusiasm surrounding Topuria and wants to face new challenges to stay active in the division.
While Volkanovski praises Topuria’s abilities, he also sees opportunities to neutralize the young fighter’s strengths. Volkanovski, at 34 years old, has accumulated experience and developed strategies to counter different fighting styles. He believes that his skill set and game plan would pose a significant challenge for Topuria. However, Volkanovski remains focused on his immediate task of facing Rodriguez and vows to handle his business before looking ahead to potential future opponents. According to the Australian:
“I’m hearing a lot of people mentioning other guys, Ilia fighting other guys – I’m like, ‘No. Don’t do it. Just give me a guy. Give me a contender. To be honest, I’m not going to say too much. I think he’s a good fighter. But the more I speak, the less I’m going to hype up the fight. I think he’s great.”
“I think it’s a great fight and that would work well on some people, but won’t work well on others,” Volkanovski said. “I want (new) guys. I want to be active. I was at a stage where I was like, ‘Give me the No. 1 guy.’ We’ve sort of cleared them. Everyone’s raving on about this guy. I’ve got Yair to worry about. I’ll worry about that first, because I see him as a much bigger threat than Ilia. I’ll make sure I go out there and do my business, and if that’s on the cards – again, I want to be active.“
Alexander Volkanovski has expressed his interest in facing Conor McGregor despite the Irish UFC star’s weight switch. Volkanovski, who currently reigns as the 145lb champion, revealed that a fight with McGregor, who previously held the title in the featherweight division, would be a fan-favorite matchup.
While Volkanovski recently competed at 155lb and fell short in his title challenge against Islam Makhachev, he acknowledged that a potential clash with McGregor could take place in the featherweight division. Speaking on The MMA Fan Podcast, Volkanovski emphasized the significance of facing McGregor in his prime, stating that it would be a special and highly anticipated fight.
He acknowledged the financial aspects and hype surrounding such a matchup but also highlighted the legacy implications, aiming to solidify his record by defeating every featherweight champion and achieving the most title defenses.
“He was a featherweight. We’ve got to remember the champions I’ve beat. I’ve beat every other champion in the featherweight division. The only champ I haven’t fought in the featherweight division is Conor McGregor.”
“Conor McGregor in his prime in featherweight division would obviously be the all-time – I’m sure everyone would want to see that right now. If we could make that happen right now, somehow get prime Conor vs. prime Volk, it would be pretty special. Everyone’s going to talk about the money, and that’s why you only want that fight. Yeah, of course there’s money in it, the circus around it, the hype, all of that. But you talk about legacy, you know then I would have beaten every featherweight champion, and I plan on having the most defences as well.”
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