Alex Volkanovski is skeptical Ilia Topuria will crack Max Holloway’s chin: “That’s a tough fight”
Ilia Topuria is expected to face Max Holloway in his first featherweight title defense, with the pair likely to face off at UFC 306. The Spaniard is adamant he will be the first man to "crack" the seemingly unbreakable chin of Holloway, but Topuria's former opponent Alex Volkanovski is doubtful that it will happen.
'El Matador' handed Volkanovski his first career defeat at featherweight when they fought at UFC 298, landing a thunderous right hand that knocked 'The Great' out cold in Round 2.
Having been KO'd by Islam Makhachev at UFC 294 less than four months prior, there were suggestions that the Australian was more vulnerable than usual to a knockout punch.
UFC CEO Dana White has yet to officially announce the next featherweight title fight, but given the expectation that Topuria will clash with 'Blessed', Volkanovski recently shared his thoughts on the fight.
He said this:
"Both great fighters, but I think that Max has proven himself time and time again. That chin. Ilia, he's got some power in his hands, his only chance of winning would be to catch [Holloway], I believe. That's no disrespect [to Topuria], Max has proven himself. We know his got that crazy granite chin. If your biggest bet is trying to take that chin out, goodluck. I've tried many times, and so have many other big punchers. Pound-for-pound the best chin ever. That's a tough fight for Ilia."
Watch Volkanovski preview Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway below (11:20):
Ilia Topuria claims the UFC "forced" Max Holloway to accept title fight
Ilia Topuria recently shared an update on his next fight, and without naming any names, he claimed that the UFC forced his upcoming opponent to accept a fight against him.
With Volkanovski making no indication that he will be facing 'El Matador' in an immediate rematch, all signs point to Topuria facing off against divisional great Max Holloway.
Holloway is coming off arguably his best-ever performance, a last-second knockout win over Justin Gaethje at UFC 300 to win the BMF title.
With 'The Great' taking the necessary time to recover after brutal back-to-back knockout defeats and 'Blessed' having accrued little damage against Gaethje, the Hawaiian will be more than ready for a potential featherweight title clash this year.
The 145-pound king recently took to X and wrote this:
"It seems the UFC forced him to say yes. El Matador is back. Congratulations to all UFC fans."
See Ilia Topuria's post below: