"I call it faith" - Ilia Topuria addresses criticism ahead of UFC 298 title fight against Alexander Volkanovski
Despite receiving criticism, Ilia Topuria isn't holding back from sharing his vision for what he believes will transpire in his title fight against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298.
The surging featherweight contender received plenty of criticism ahead of his title fight when fans noticed that he had 'UFC World Champion' in his Instagram bio.
In a recent interview, Volkanovski even admitted that he wasn't too thrilled when he saw it and that it would make a win much more satisfying.
'El Matador' recently took to his X account and addressed the criticism he received. He posted a trailer for the UFC 298 main event and mentioned that he believes it is his destiny to become the new featherweight champion.
He wrote:
"Call it arrogance if you want, I call it faith. I shed every drop of sweat and every drop of blood to honor my destiny. On February 17th, I will claim what is mine. #AndNew #15"
It will be interesting to see whether Topuria's prediction will be correct or if the added pressure he has placed on himself will backfire when he challenges Volkanovski, a dominant featherweight champion.
Alexander Volkanovski sounds off on Ilia Topuria for Instagram bio
Alexander Volkanovski recently sounded off on Ilia Topuria ahead of their main event clash at UFC 298.
Appearing on Israel Adesanya's FREESTYLEBENDER YouTube channel, the reigning featherweight champion noted that he wasn't happy with 'El Matador' addressing himself as the UFC champion in his Instagram bio. He mentioned that he intends to humble the surging contender and hand him his first career loss.
Volkanovski said:
"Someone's gonna have to go on to their bio on their Instagram and change it literally themselves. What a humbling experience that's gonna be. And I'm gonna make sure, I don't want the manager, I don't want their trainers or his wife or anything doing it. I want him personally to change that to 14-1 and contender or whatever he's gonna change the champion to."