When is Alexander Volkanovski's next fight? Opponent, date, and location all but confirmed
It seems Alexander Volkanovski has been handed his next assignment. The UFC featherweight champion is expected to defend his title against Ilia Topuria at UFC 297 on January 20 in Toronto, Canada.
According to MMA-based X handle @mma_orbit, Topuria recently confirmed on a TV show that while a few specifics need to be settled, he is gearing up to face the Australian in a title fight next. @mma_orbit wrote:
"Ilia Topuria has said on Spanish TV show @El_Hormiguero that there are still a few details to iron out, but he expects to fight Alexander Volkanovski for the featherweight title at UFC297 on January 20th in Toronto, Canada."
Alexander Volkanovski is coming off an impressive third-round TKO over Yair Rodriguez at UFC 290 in July. The victory marked his fifth successful title defense and helped strengthen his case to be named one of the greatest featherweight champions ever.
Meanwhile, Ilia Topuria is one of the fastest-rising featherweight contenders today and is considered among the most exciting fighters to look out for. The undefeated Georgian-Spanish fighter last dismantled Josh Emmett at UFC on ABC 5, beating the American via unanimous decision.
Over the past few months, 'El Matador' has been angling for a title shot against 'The Great' and it seems the UFC is set to grant him his wish.
Alexander Volkanovski's next fight: Henry Cejudo believes Ilia Topuria could dominate 'The Great'
Former two-division UFC champion Henry Cejudo recently weighed in on the Alexander Volkanovski vs. Ilia Topuria matchup. While 'The Great' is widely considered to be one of the most dominant champions in the promotion today, Cejudo believes Topuria could beat him while making it look easy.
With a 26-2 record, Volkanovski has remained undefeated as a featherweight throughout his professional career. His last loss came against Islam Makhachev in an extremely close lightweight title fight at UFC 284. Given Volkanovski's dominance as the featherweight champion, many back him to beat Topuria.
However, Henry Cejudo has a contrasting opinion. In a recent video uploaded to his YouTube channel, 'Triple C' explained why he thought Ilia Topuria could end up dominating Volkanovski in the octagon. He said:
"I am going for Ilia Topuria, but it’s hard to go against a guy who is very well rounded, who has fought that level of competition that Alexander Volkanovski has... If he could protect his leg kicks, and if he can bring back some of that Georgian wrestling into this fight, I could see Ilia Topuria not only just beating him but actually dominating in this fight."
Catch Cejudo's comments below (13:06):