Alexander Volkanovski doesn’t have gray hairs. They’re just wisdom highlights.
On Saturday, February 17 the reigning featherweight world champion will return to the Octagon determined to defend his title for the sixth time against undefeated standout Ilia Topuria. Leading up to their highly anticipated clash inside the Honda Center at UFC 298, ‘The Great’ has been inundated with comments from fight fans suggesting that the 35-year-old’s best days are behind him.
Instead of biting back at his skeptics, Volkanovski decided to lean into the narrative that he’s “too old” to fight via a hilarious promo in partnership with Sportsbet. In the clip— which you can see below — the champ takes part in a series of adventures commonly associated with the elderly. Gardening, falling asleep seconds after popping a videotape into the VCR (everyone under 25 can learn what that is right here), bickering with his neighbors, and running off some sidewalk skateboarders.
Volk's sick of all this BS about his age
#UFC298@alexvolkanovski pic.twitter.com/ntbp1hujnK
— Sportsbet.com.au (@sportsbetcomau) February 9, 2024
Sportsbooks have Volkanovski vs. Topuria as a Pick’em
Alexander Volkanovski is a cool 13-0 inside the Octagon as a featherweight, but after suffering not one, but two losses against current lightweight titleholder Islam Makhachev in 2023, it is feared that ‘The Great’ may have lost a step or two.
As for Topuria, the first-time title challenger is coming in on a hot streak, winning his first 14 career fights, six of them coming under the UFC banner.
Currently, DraftKings has the bout listed as a pick’em with both Volkanovski and Topuria sitting at a -110.