Alexander Volkanovski’s teammate calls out Ilia Topuria’s brother for clash at UFC 298
Alexander Volkanovski and Ilia Topuria are set to clash for the featherweight title in the main event of UFC 298 in February.
The pair initially seemed likely to headline the prior month's pay-per-view card, UFC 297, but Volkanovski's KO loss to Islam Makhachev at UFC 294 pushed the timeline back.
Volkanovski and 'El Matador' will square off in a much-anticipated clash, and Justin Van Heerden, a teammate of 'The Great', has now called for a bout with Topuria's brother, Aleksandre.
Van Heerden trains alongside Alexander Volkanovski at Freestyle MMA in Sydney, Australia, and is currently the Eternal MMA featherweight champion. 'Lockjaw' is riding a five-fight winning streak and has no doubt gotten the attention of the UFC through his performances.
His callout of Ilia Topuria's brother might not be the move Van Heerden requires to make his UFC debut, but 'The Great' appears to like his teammate's idea. Alexander Volkanovski took a screenshot of Van Heerden's callout and uploaded it to X, where 'The Great wrote:
"Let's make it happen. Watch us take out the Topuria brothers... easy money."
See the post below:
Volkanovski will be hoping to bounce back from his first KO loss in the UFC against Islam Makhachev with a statement-making performance against surging contender Ilia Topuria at UFC 298.
Alexander Volkanovski is eager to embarrass Ilia Topuria at UFC 298
Alexander Volkanovski suffered a shocking head kick knockout in round one against Islam Makhachev at UFC 294 in October.
'The Great' gave Makhachev the toughest fight of his career during their first clash, at UFC 284 in Perth, which made the Dagestani's definitive victory in the rematch even more surprising.
Following the loss, there were suggestions from certain corners of the MMA world that 'The Great' may have passed his prime. Even Topuria claimed that Alexander Volkanovski will fight differently now that he knows what it's like to be knocked out.
However, the featherweight champion is eager to remind everyone exactly why he's been the undisputed 145-pound king since 2019.
During a recent appearance on the Who The Fook Is That Guy? podcast, Volkanovski opened up about his upcoming clash with Topuria, saying:
"He needs a bit of humbling... He's 26? Perfect age... He needs the world to see it. Let me do my thing in front of the world, a little humbling experience for him. Maybe he needs a bit of embarrassment, then snap things into gear. Maybe he can one day be a great champion... I'm going to teach him a lesson, I'm going to embarrass him."
Watch the video below from 26:40: