Alexander Volkanovski shares his thoughts on Joe Rogan’s claim that Ilia Topuria turned down a rematch with ‘The Great’ in Australia
Alexander Volkanovski's undefeated career run at featherweight was ended in thunderous fashion by Ilia Topuria at UFC 298. The surging Spaniard was brimming with confidence ahead of the matchup, and delivered on his promise to defeat 'The Great' by handing him a second-round knockout.
Volkanovski made it clear following his title loss that he was hoping to secure an immediate rematch, and given his incredible title reign, his call was supported by many.
But according to longtime UFC commentator Joe Rogan, 'El Matador' turned down the offer to fight 'The Great' at UFC 305, which will be held in Perth, Australia in August.
The news has yet to be confirmed by any UFC officials, but during a recent appearance on Australian sports show Main Event, the former featherweight champion shared his thoughts on Rogan's comments. He said the following:
"I've made it pretty clear that I wanted to wait a bit, towards the end of this year... Questions were asked about was I gonna fight on the Perth card... So I'm guessing a lot of people thought I was gonna be on there. [Topuria] was even getting asked questions, I reckon that's where Joe Rogan got this, whether he got inside information I don't know. Where [Topuria] was like, 'Why would I go to enemy territory?'"
He concluded:
"Nothing was ever brought to me, as in, 'We want to fight.' I've made it clear that I want to fight later in the year."
Watch Alexander Volkanovski's interview below from 1:00:
Ilia Topuria denies Joe Rogan's claim that he turned down an Alexander Volkanovski rematch
Ilia Topuria handed Alexander Volkanovski a devastating knockout defeat at UFC 298 to become the new featherweight champion. While 'The Great' made it clear that he wanted an immediate rematch, Topuria was less transparent about his ambitions as champion.
'El Matador' surprisingly claimed that he would not be giving any of the division's elite contenders a title shot in the wake of his win. According to Joe Rogan, he also turned down a rematch with the Australian in August.
But Topuria has now denied Rogan's comments to be true, taking to X and posting:
"I never turned down the rematch with Alex as the UFC has never offered me this fight. As I’ve said many times before, I will be the first to knock out Holloway. Let’s keep this simple: Do you want to fight? If the answer is yes, there's nothing more to discuss. Bring my belt and your pillow."
See Topuria's post about Alexander Volkanovski-rematch below: