"He might even win that" - Ex-UFC champ dissects who has a better ground game between Ilia Topuria and Alexander Volkanovski
Former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping has weighed in on Alexander Volkanovski's upcoming title defense against Ilia Topuria.
The two featherweights are set to headline UFC 298 on February 17, 2024, at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. The bout marks a return to 145 pounds for Volkanovski, who suffered a devasting leg kick KO loss at the hands of Islam Makhachev in his last outing.
For Topuria, the 27-year-old is considered one of the most dangerous contenders rising through the ranks, evidenced by his 14-0 record. 12 of those victories have come via a finish, and he has also earned back-to-back bonuses in his last three outings.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Bisping offered his take on who stands to have the advantage over the other in different aspects of MMA, such as wrestling, striking, and jiu-jitsu.
According to 'The Count', Topuria has the edge when it comes to wrestling, however, he'd expect Volkanovski to come out on top in any jiu-jitsu exchanges. Bisping said:
"I got dropped by a left hook and then he got me in a rear-naked choke [Bisping describing his loss to Georges St-Pierre]... That's the way Volkanovski would get submitted against Topuria. I think in a straight up jiu-jitsu match, however, I think he'd [Alexander Volkanovski] be fine, he might even win that. But in a mixed martial arts contest, Ilia Topuria is very confident he'll get the job done."
Catch Michael Bisping's comments here (7:09):
Alexander Volkanovski reiterates lightweight title ambitions
Alexander Volkanovski has once again expressed his desire to move up to the lightweight division and become the champion.
The Australian stepped up to 155 pounds twice in 2023, facing Islam Makhachev on both occasions. After a close-fought first contest in February that went the distance, 'The Great' came up short for a second time when he stepped in on 10 days' notice and suffered a first-round KO loss in their rematch.
Despite his shortcomings at lightweight so far, Volkanovski isn't letting his latest setback stop him from trying to achieve his goals.
In a recent exchange with TheMacLife interviewer Oscar Willis, he opted to remind fans of his dominance at featherweight and once again vied to turn that into a success in the lightweight division. He said:
"Everybody's gonna be reminded, and then everybody is gonna be switching a full 180 saying there's nothing left for me at 145, and they want me to go take that lightweight belt… Lightweight definitely in the near future."
Check out Alexander Volkanovski's comments here: