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