Alexander Volkanovski weighs in on Ilia Topuria calling out Islam Makhachev, predicts how the fight would go
Alexander Volkanovski has weighed in on Ilia Topuria’s recent callout of lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. Topuria, preparing for his featherweight title defense against Max Holloway at UFC 308, recently expressed interest in a future fight with Makhachev, claiming the Russian talks too much.
Despite Makhachev being sidelined with a hand injury until early 2025, Topuria has hinted at a potential super-fight next year. Tension between the two fighters has been escalating, with Topuria and Makhachev's team exchanging heated words.
Speaking to Submission Radio, Volkanovski praised Topuria for knowing how to get people talking:
“He knows how to get people talking… Obviously that would be the the best thing to do if he could go there and fight up and still hold your belt while you're doing things like that. Everyone wants to do that so. You're going to call your shot wherever that happens, different story, but he's calling his shot and he's uh got on him”
However, 'The Great' emphasized that Makhachev’s skills are no joke. Sharing his prediction for the matchup, the former champion had this to say:
“Islam is really good you know I mean, I think Islam's very fit, Islam is, you know, very safe but again Ilia is the type of guy that he could knock out anyone. So he's got power in the hands, you know what I mean. Everyone knows that you go in there fighting him you know that… It's usually to always bet on someone when they just have a punchers chance. [But] I feel like you need to show more to be, you know, a hot favorite, especially against some like Islam.”
Check out Alexander Volkanovski's comments below (2:25):
Daniel Cormier weighs in on the intention behind Ilia Topuria's trash-talking game ahead of UFC 308
Featherweight champion Ilia Topuria has been making waves with bold claims ahead of his UFC 308 showdown against Max Holloway. 'El Matador' has repeatedly promised to engage Holloway in a brawl within the first 10 seconds of their fight, seemingly eager to lure the Hawaiian star into a fierce exchange.
However, former UFC double champion Daniel Cormier believes there's more to Topuria's words than meets the eye. In a recent YouTube video, Cormier stated that Topuria's aggressive posturing is a calculated tactic meant to bait Holloway into abandoning his usual composed approach:
“Guys this is clearly a ploy by Ilia Topuria… He’s flat out challenging Max Holloway… Ilia’s hoping Max Holloway isn’t able to resist the urge to say, 'Okay… Let’s do it.'”
Check out Daniel Cormier's comments on Ilia Topuria below (9:22):