Tag: UFC 298

Ilia Topuria promises UFC 298 title win over Alexander Volkanovski: ‘He doesn’t stand a chance, zero opportunity’

Ilia Topuria promises to beat Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 he doesn't stand a chanceMaking his first featherweight championship charge at UFC 298 in March of next year, surging Georgian contender, Ilia Topuria…

Ilia Topuria promises to beat Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 he doesn't stand a chance

Making his first featherweight championship charge at UFC 298 in March of next year, surging Georgian contender, Ilia Topuria has claimed incumbent gold holder, Alexander Volkanovski stand no chance of escaping Anaheim, California with his title in tow come the culmination of their clash.

Topuria, the current number five ranked featherweight contender, most recently headlined a UFC Fight Night Jacksonville card back in June – earning Fight of the Night honors in a unanimous decision shutout win over former interim title chaser, Josh Emmett earlier this summer.

And as for Volkanovski, the undisputed featherweight champion, most recently headlined UFC 294 back in October, suffering a stunning opening round high-kick KO loss to lightweight titleholder, Islam Makhachev in the pair’s title rematch in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

In his most recent featherweight appearance, New South Wales favorite, Volkanovski turned in a successful championship unification win over then-interim gold holder, Yair Rodríguez – and formally held the top spot on the pound-for-pound ranking totem pole.

Ilia Topuria vows to snatch title from Alexander Volkanovski

Claiming earlier this month how Topuria needs to be humbled in their UFC 298 title clash in March of next year, Volkanovski apparently stands no chance of retaining his title in Anaheim – that’s according to the incoming challenger.

“He (Alexander Volkanovski) doesn’t stand a chance,” Ilia Topuria told ESPN Deportes. “He has zero opportunity. I don’t see any holes, but I can tell how he attacks. The only attack I see is that he is going to kick my legs. That’s the only thing that he can do.” 

“He has good cardio,” Ilia Topuria explained. “But everyone has good cardio when they’re not under pressure. When you’re walking forward, you’ll have good cardio. But when you’re in trouble, cardio tends to fade away, and this will be the case. He will have someone in front of him that never goes back. I think it’s going to be perfect. It’s going to be a masterpiece, to hit and don’t get hit. That’s what you will see in this combat. You’ll see an authentic mixed martial artist.” 

Who wins at UFC 298 next March: Alexander Volkanovski or Ilia Topuria?

Alexander Volkanovski vows to humble Ilia Topuria ahead of UFC 298 title fight: ‘He needs a bit of embarrassment’

Alexander Volkanovski vows to humble Ilia Topuria at UFC 298 he needs to be embarrassedUndisputed lightweight champion, Alexander Volkanovski has vowed to “embarrass” incoming title challenger, Ilia Topuria ahead of the pair’s championship…

Alexander Volkanovski vows to humble Ilia Topuria at UFC 298 he needs to be embarrassed

Undisputed lightweight champion, Alexander Volkanovski has vowed to “embarrass” incoming title challenger, Ilia Topuria ahead of the pair’s championship showdown at UFC 298 in February of next year, claiming the Georgian contender needs to be knocked down a peg or two.

Volkanovski, the undisputed featherweight champion and former pound-for-pound number one ranked fighter, most recently headlined UFC 294 back in October in Abu Dhabi, UAE, suffering his first stoppage loss in the organization, courtesy of a brutal opening round high-kick KO loss to two-time foe, Islam Makhachev in the pair’s championship rematch. 

And booked soon there after to make his comeback to the Octagon, New South Wales native, Volkanovski is set to defend his featherweight crown against Topuria at UFC 298 in March from the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.

Alexander Volkanovski vows to humble Ilia Topuria ahead of UFC 298

Sharing his thoughts on his pairing with the surging, Topuria – who is fresh from a dominant win over former interim title challenger, Josh Emmett earlier this summer, Volkanovski claims the former needs to be humbled.

“This guy (Ilia Topuria) thinks he’s the man,” Alexander Volkanovski told Who The Fook is That Guy. “It’s funny. For me, I’ve always wanted to earn my stripes. Earn these positions, put myself in there, and earn that respect. This guy’s just getting things given to him and probably not even that much but he thinks he’s the man. The beautiful thing about it is I get to teach a kid a lesson.”

“Ready to go out there, I’m hoping to teach him a lesson, humble him a little bit, and still let him wake up to himself and then he can bounce back when my time’s done,” Alexander Volkanovski explained. “He needs a bit of humbling, 26, perfect age. He needs the world to see. He maybe needs a bit of embarrassment and snap things into gear and maybe he can one day be a great champion. Right now, he wants to act like he’s acting, I’m just gonna teach him a lesson. I’m gonna embarrass him, he’s young enough to bounce back in a positive way. I’ll play teacher the next few months.” 

Who wins at UFC 298 next February: Alexander Volkanovski or Ilia Topuria?

Concussion Protocols pushed Alexander Volkanovski’s Title fight Against ilia Topuria to UFC 298 in February

Alexander VolkanovskiAlexander Volkanovski had high hopes of defending his featherweight title at UFC 297. Unfortunately, that is no longer the…

Alexander Volkanovski

Alexander Volkanovski had high hopes of defending his featherweight title at UFC 297.

Unfortunately, that is no longer the case after ‘The Great’ stepped inside the Octagon on 11 days’ notice last month for a short-notice clash with reigning lightweight world champion Islam Makhachev. Volkanovski’s gamble didn’t pay off as he suffered a brutal first-round TKO after the ‘Dagestani Destroyer’ landed a perfectly-timed head kick in the opening minutes.

As a result, concussion protocols forced Volkanovski to move his return date back by one month. He is now set to defend his title against the division’s fifth-ranked contender, Ilia Topuria, in the UFC 298 headliner on February 17.

“Yeah obviously it was scheduled for January,” Volkanovski told Fox Sports Australia. “We just thought that would be a little bit too soon, you know what I mean? We want to follow all protocols and do everything right, obviously, after the last one and I’m lucky enough to have a great team around me, who’ve dealt with a lot of concussions in football and whatnot.

“We thought that January was a little too soon and I was lucky enough to have UFC and other guys there make that happen and move things around for me, which I’m grateful for. I think the timing will be perfect. I’ll be back in there soon, but not too soon” (MMA Mania).

Alexander Volkanovski Aims to ‘Humble’ Ilia Topuria

Defending his 145-pound crown for the sixth time, Alexander Volkanovski will face undefeated division standout Ilia Topuria. El Matador’ goes into the contest with a perfect 14-0 record, six of those wins coming inside the Octagon. His victory over former interim title challenger Josh Emmett in June landed Topuria the opportunity to compete for UFC gold.

“He’s a powerful dude, he’s good everywhere,” Volkanovski said of his opponent. “He’s not one-dimensional, he’s obviously very well-rounded, I just believe my skills and my understanding of the game, it’s just going to be that little bit too much for him. He’s a young, hungry dude, undefeated. Very, very confident but I think he needs a little bit of humbling, so I’m glad to be the man to do that.

“He’s a powerful dude, he likes his boxing, but again, I just need to show him that I’m a whole different breed. He’s gonna come in confident. Probably even more confident after my last performance. There’s a lot of people who are gonna be like, ‘What’s going on here?’ And I can’t wait to show them why I’ve been the king of this division for so long.”

Breaking – Alexander Volkanovski – Ilia Topuria championship fight planned for UFC 298 in February

Alexander Volkanovski vs. Ilia Topuria targeted for UFC 298 in February title fightAn undisputed featherweight championship fight between divisional champion, Alexander Volkanovski, and surging number five ranked contender, Ilia Topuria is…

Alexander Volkanovski vs. Ilia Topuria targeted for UFC 298 in February title fight

An undisputed featherweight championship fight between divisional champion, Alexander Volkanovski, and surging number five ranked contender, Ilia Topuria is currently in the works to feature at a UFC 298 pay-per-view card in February. At the time of publication, an official date, location, or venue for the flagship has yet to be determined by the organization.

Volkanovski, the current undisputed featherweight champion and former pound-for-pound number one ranked fighter, most recently headlined UFC 294 last month in Abu Dhabi, UAE, suffering a stunning first round high-kick knockout loss to Islam Makhachev in a lightweight championship fight rematch on just 10 days’ notice. 

As for German-born contender, Topuria, the streaking challenger landed his sixth consecutive Octagon victory back in June – turning in a Fight of the Night display against former interim title challenger, Josh Emmett in a unanimous decision victory. The win improved Topuria to 14-0 as a professional.

Alexander Volkanovski targeted to fight Ilia Topuria at UFC 298

According to a report tonight from Ariel Helwani, with a lightweight title fight between Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira currently planned for UFC 297 in January – Alexander Volkanovski’s planned return at that card in Toronto, Canada, is currently in the works to take place a month later against Ilia Topuria at UFC 298. 

“The current plan – though not finalized just yet – is to have Islam Makhachev x Charles Oliveira 2 – headline UFC 297,” Helwani posted on his official X account. “That event, while not officially announced yet, is currently slated to Jan. 20 in Toronto. The original plan for that main was Volkanovski x Topuria, but now the plan is for that to be on the February PPV.”

In his most recent featherweight outing, New South Wales favorite, Volkanovski turned in a stunning title unification win over former interim champion, Yair Rodríguez in the main event of UFC 290 back in July during International Fight Week, securing a third round ground strikes TKO win.

As for Topuria, the revered finisher debuted in the organization back in 2020 in Abu Dhabi, UAE, landing victories over Youssef Zalal, Damon Jackson, Ryan Hall, Jai Herbert, Bryce Mitchell, and Josh Emmett consecutively in the time since. 

Who wins at UFC 298: Alexander Volkanovski vs. Ilia Topuria?