"Now I have patience to wait" - Ilia Topuria reflects on his journey of growth and transformation since UFC debut
Ilia Topuria is set to face Alexander Volkanovski in the main event of UFC 298, which goes down on Feb. 17 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.
The featherweight contender made his UFC debut in October 2020, and in just six fights, all of which he won, he has earned an opportunity to compete for the featherweight strap.
Ahead of his UFC 298 main event spot, Topuria joined UFC commentator Jon Anik for an interview. The two discussed a variety of topics, including how the current version of 'El Matador' is different to the one that entered the octagon for the very first time in 2020.
Ilia Topuria explained:
"Right now, I feel like I have more patience. I have more experience inside the cage. Before, I was looking for the knockout, for the submissions. Now, I have more patience to wait for that moment, you know."
Check out Ilia Topuria's interview with Jon Anik here (1:18 for his comments):
While Topuria is known to be heavy-handed and aggressive fighter, this patience he spoke off was on full display in his last outing against Josh Emmett, where he dismantled the power puncher over the course of five rounds.
He faced Emmett in June 2023 and dominated him for 25 minutes to secure the unanimous decision win. The result saw him earn the right to be next in line for a shot at Alexander Volkanovski.
Ilia Topuria explains why Alexander Volkanovski will be one of his "easiest fights"
In the past, Topuria had stated that he believes Alexander Volkanovski will be one of his easiest fights to date. Jon Anik, in the very same interview, pressed 'El Matador' on why he thought so.
The challenger replied:
"At the moment he is in right now, because he lost his last fight, he talked about his mental problems, I feel like he is not at his hundred percent right now. Me, myself, I feel I'm way better than him, anywhere." (2:54)
Topuria currently holds a professional MMA record of 14-0. He will be looking to make it 15 fights undefeated come fight night, as he gets his first shot at UFC gold at UFC 298.