Alexander Volkanovski wanted a rematch with Ilia Topuria, but there’s no problem with Featherweight Champion moving in to chase the second belt instead.
The story of booking for Topuria vs. Volkanovski appeared shortly after the main event of UFC 298. This led Topuria to become the featherweight champion with Volkanovski’s second knockout. Topuria successfully defended the title with another stunning knockout of former title holder Max Holloway, but Volkanovski has spent most of the past 12 months enjoying a break from the competition.
Volkanovski returned to fight for the featherweight belt at UFC 314 on April 12, but he is not facing Toplia. Instead, Volkanovsky won the vacant title with Diego Lopez, and Topria has risen to lighter for a potential battle with Islamic Makhachev. It is not yet known whether Topuria will get a crack in Makhachev immediately, but Volkanovski believes it will be justified based on how Topuria handled the situation.
“If I say this, I don’t think that would happen if he was trying to stick to both belts,” Volkanovsky said. Trust me in you Podcast. “The fact that he is open and I don’t know about it, I think it’s fair.
“He wants to do a double champion thing, but he says, ‘Look’.
Topuria is 16-0 in his career and Featherweight is a deep division with potential candidates, but he believes “El Matador” is ready to become the next “champion” for the UFC. According to UFC CEO Dana White, Topuria is also not keen to cut it to £145.
If Topuria finally stepped into the octagon with Makhachev, it would oppose the world’s number one (Makachev) and the two-pound pound fighter jet against each other. They had shared opponents in Volkanovski, offering fight predictions and ways to win.
“What do you think the battle will be?” Volkanovski said. “I beat both of them. I believe that he beats someone, I don’t always fight, I don’t catch me, I think that’s the only way I can see him really losing, someone is catching him.
And if anyone can do that, Ilia clearly knows he is in his hands to count him. He’s like Islam, but early in the first couple or the first three rounds, he doesn’t want to be caught by any of those punches, so if anyone can catch him, I think I’ll be there for a chance. ”