"Everyone’s raving on about this guy" - Alexander Volkanovski comes clean on Ilia Topuria's potential title shot
UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski seems keen on facing Ilia Topuria in a title fight and recently weighed in on the mercurial Georgian-Spanish fighter's performances so far.
Last weekend, Topuria faced Josh Emmett in the headlining fight of UFC on ABC 5 in Florida. 'El Matador' put on a striking clinic as he absolutely demolished Emmett en route to a unanimous decision victory, securing a rare 50-42 scorecard. Now on a 14-fight unbeaten streak, Ilia Topuria called for a fight against Max Holloway in Spain or a title shot against Volkanovski.
Josh Emmett vs Ilia Topuria🔥
Masterclass performance by Topuria😮💨
https://t.co/ndQr6H3QAU
In a recent appearance on ESPN MMA's DC & RC Show, Alexander Volkanovski weighed in on Topuria's call-out and revealed that the possibility of new challengers always excites him. He stated:
"I’m hearing a lot of people mentioning other guys, Ilia fighting other guys – I’m like, ‘No, don’t do it.' Just give me a guy... I think he’s a good fighter. But the more I speak, the less I’m going to hype up the fight."
He continued:
"I think it’s a great fight and that would work well on some people, but won’t work well on others. I want [new] guys. I want to be active... Everyone’s raving on about this guy. I’ve got Yair to worry about."
Meanwhile, Alexander Volkanovski is set to defend his undisputed title against interim featherweight champion Yair Rodriguez at UFC 290.
Catch Volkanovski's comments below (38:32):
Alexander Volkanovski shares his prediction for the Yair Rodriguez title fight at UFC 290
Alexander Volkanovski doesn't mess around when it comes to defending his featherweight crown and is confident of a thumping victory over Yair Rodriguez at UFC 290. The fight will mark the Australian's first outing since losing his lightweight title bid against Islam Makhachev via a razor-sharp decision at UFC 284.
In a recent appearance on Logan Paul's IMPAULSIVE podcast, 'The Great' spoke about his upcoming title defense and claimed that he intends to call for a rematch against Makhachev after brushing 'El Pantera' aside. He said:
"People will be like 'Oh he's looking past him [Rodriguez]'. I know he's dangerous, I just know what I'm capable of. I plan on running through him and moving on... I'm going to prepare as if this is the biggest challenge of my life... And do what needs to be done."
He continued:
"I still expect to go out there and kick f****ng a**. People say I'm looking forward as I'm planning on going champ-champ by having that rematch with Islam."
Watch the full video below: