"All Ilia has to do is touch him" - Demetrious Johnson doubts Alexander Volkanovski's chances against Ilia Topuria in potential rematch
Demetrious Johnson recently shared his opinion on a potential rematch between Alexander Volkanovski and Ilia Topuria.
Topuria pulled off a spectacular upset at UFC 298 by decisively knocking out featherweight champion Volkanovski in the second round. Despite being the betting underdog against the long-reigning champion, 'El Matador' emerged victorious, possibly paving the way for a rematch.
Before the fight, Topuria stated that he intends to defend the featherweight belt in Spain. Following the bout, UFC CEO Dana White seemed open to the idea, and Volkanovski notably asked for a rematch in Spain.
During his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, the Australian said:
"Obviously he's a hard hitter, we knew that going in. He wasn't meant to land like that but he did. Credit to him. I've been the champion of this featherweight division for a long time, he keeps mentioning Spain. Maybe we do a rematch over there in Spain."
Catch Alexander Volkanovski's comments below (0:27):
In a recent episode of MIGHTYcast, Demetrious Johnson discussed Volkanovski's chances against Topuria in a possible rematch. Picking the new champion to come out on top if they run it back, 'Mighty Mouse' said:
''If they do a rematch, all Ilia has to do is touch him. He has to run away from Topuria for 25 minutes. It's not like Volkanovski has a range advantage. I don’t think Volkanovski’s faster than him.''
Johnson added:
''I truly feel like llia Topuria is a bad matchup for Alex Volkanovski."
Watch the clip below:
Ilia Topuria's response to Alexander Volkanovski's demand for a rematch
A possible rematch between Ilia Topuria and Alexander Volkanovski is already being discussed.
However, despite being open to a rematch, Topuria is focused on "cleaning up" the division. During the post-fight conference, 'El Matador' stated that he would offer 'The Great' a rematch since the former UFC featherweight champion is a "good person." He said:
"To be honest, at this point, I'm like, 'Okay I'm going to give him the rematch because he's a good person.' But at the same time, it's time to move on. It's time to clean up the division a little bit. It's time for the new generation, to have new challenges [and] new faces. I will be looking for that."
Check out Ilia Topuria's comments below ( 2:28):