Ilia Topuria squashes beef with Alexander Volkanovski with respectful message after title win
Ilia Topuria has squashed his beef with Alexander Volkanovski with a respectful message.
Topuria and Volkanovski locked horns this past weekend at UFC 298 in what was one of the most highly anticipated featherweight championship bouts in recent times.
On the night, Volkanovski started the fight strongly and won the first round on the scorecards. However, Topuria ultimately emerged victorious after securing a vicious knockout in the second round. In doing so, 'El Matador' realized his dream of becoming a world champion.
Now, a few days after his emphatic victory, Topuria has squashed his beef with Volkanovski via Instagram, applauding 'The Great' for making him a better fighter:
"I thank you Volk. You were a tough opponent who made me even better it was an honor to share the octagon with you."
Ilia Topuria opens up about a potential rematch against Alexander Volkanovski
A potential rematch between Ilia Topuria and Alexander Volkanovski is already being talked about. Considering the level of dominance that Volkanovski had over the featherweight division, he most certainly deserves an immediate rematch.
However, despite being open for a rematch, Topuria has his eyes set on "cleaning up" the division. While speaking about it during the post-event press conference, 'El Matador' stated that he would give 'The Great' a rematch because the former UFC featherweight champion is a "good person."
"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."
Watch Ilia Topuria's interview below from 2:28:
Volkanovski has already made it known that he wants an immediate rematch. Moreover, Dana White has revealed that Topuria's first title defense will be in Spain later this year.
That said, it remains to be seen if Volkanovski will be able to be back in time for an immediate rematch in Spain against Topuria.