"It's inevitable" - Uber confident Ilia Topuria says it's his "destiny" to defeat Alexander Volkanovski for the UFC featherweight title
mIlia Topuria is set to challenge Alexander Volkanovski for the featherweight title at UFC 298 later this month. The No.3-ranked featherweight recently revealed that he believes it is inevitable that he will become just the fifth champion in the history of the division.
Speaking to Ariel Helwani of The MMA Hour, 'El Matador' stated:
"It's inevitable [that] I'm going to win this fight. It's my destiny, you know. It always was my destiny. I was born as a fighter. I was born as a UFC world champion. I know my level. I know myself and I have the capacity of analyzing all my opponents and I know that I'm better than anyone in my division. Even in the next weight class, I'm better than everyone. And it's just a matter of time that I'm going to prove all of them, time and time again, wrong."
Check out Ilia Topuria's comments on facing Alexander Volkanovski below:
Volkanovski has never lost at featherweight, as two of his career losses have come at lightweight, while he previously lost one bout at welterweight. He will look to defend the title for the sixth time since becoming champion at UFC 245 in 2019. Only Jose Aldo has more featherweight title defenses, with seven. While Topuria has never lost in his mixed martial arts career, he will face his toughest challenge at UFC 298.
Ilia Topuria claims he will make Alexander Volkanovski 'look like a punching bag'
While Alexander Volkanovski is considered one of the best mixed martial artists of all time, Ilia Topuria does not believe their upcoming UFC 298 bout will be much of a challenge. During a recent appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, the No.3-ranked featherweight claimed that he would make things look easy, stating:
"He's saying a lot of bulls**t. 'There is levels. I have this and I have that'. Yes, you're right. There are levels. There are levels then there is me. I'm going to show him where the levels are. I'm going to dominate him everywhere. I'm going to make him look like a punching bag. You will see. I will be dancing February 17th... You are talking to the best fighter in the world right now. I'm the best fighter in the world."
Check out Ilia Topuria's comments on his upcoming bout against Alexander Volkanovski below:
Volkanovski suffered the toughest loss of his mixed martial arts career in his last bout at UFC 294. He will look to turn things around as he makes a quick turnaround at UFC 298.