"He thinks he's a superstar" - Alexander Volkanovski claims Ilia Topuria "needs a bit of humbling," vows to make him "better fighter" after UFC 298
UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski is set to put his title on the line for the sixth time at UFC 298 against Ilia Topuria.
Topuria is undefeated in his career through 14 professional fights and intends on getting his 15th win in his very first title shot in the UFC. He also holds a fearsome record of 12 wins (eight submissions, four knockouts) via finish, but Volkanovski is not too bothered by it.
In an interview with mainevent, the champion dismissed Topuria's record and spoke about neutralizing his previous opponents:
"A lot of people obviously talking about submissions that he’s done and knockouts... So have a lot of my previous opponents and then they step in front of me and they can’t do anything. And that’s what I plan on doing to him. I’m going to show him, I don’t care about the 14 fights you’ve had, that does not matter when you’re stepping up against someone like me... I’ve been tested plenty of times and I’ve proven myself. He gets a chance to prove himself this weekend. But unfortunately for him, he’s just a part of my story."
Volkanovski also spoke about the No.3-ranked challenger thinking he's a "superstar" and vowed to humble him and make him a better human and fighter after UFC 298:
"He needs a bit of humbling that I believe. He’s probably not that bad of a kid but I think it’s gone to his head. I think he thinks he’s a superstar already, he literally thinks he’s the money fight already. He needs a rude awakening, he really does need some humbling and I think that’s going to make him a better fighter. I think it’ll make him a better human, a better father, you name it. So, I’m going to do the man a favor, I’m gonna teach him a lesson and then maybe his story starts after that."
Check out his comments below (7:17):
Robert Whittaker says he will knock out Paulo Costa at UFC 298
Former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker will fight Paulo Costa in the co-main event of UFC 298.
Whittaker is winless since 2022, which is also when Costa fought last. Both fighters want to cement a position in the top five of the division with a strong performance at UFC 298.
In an interview with Fanatics View, Whittaker promised to knock out Costa and keep probing for the finish in the three rounds at his disposal. He said:
"I'm gonna knock him out. I've got 15 minutes to find my hole, to find the weakness that I can exploit, and I'm going headhunting. I'm looking for it [knockout]."
Check out his comments below: