At this week’s UFC 298 press conference, 35-year-old Alexander Volkanovski dressed like an old man, complete with a flat cap and glasses, to parody the rumor that he is retiring.
A brief altercation broke out between Volkanovski and Ilia Topuria, the eight-year-old challenger who had never lost, after the latter moved the UFC title belt from a table in front of the former. Topuria was the quintessential underdog.
Topuria is confident he can end Volkanovski’s four-year 145-pound supremacy at Honda Center on Saturday night, even though he isn’t ready to give up the belt.
Although Volkanovski, an Australian veteran standing five feet six inches tall, has defeated lightweight champion Islam Makhachev twice in the past year, he remains unbeaten in his ideal weight class. He can prove his ongoing danger before the UFC 298 featherweight main event.
Volkanovski thinks this is the perfect fit, considering the events. “My lowest point was evident to all.” This opponent has never lost, and I can defeat them. Everyone thinks you’re thirty-five. Each and every one of these tales. Gorgeous. The perfect story.
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After a delay, middleweight champion Robert Whittaker fights Paulo Costa in the penultimate match. The UFC is hosting its first pay-per-view event in Southern California in twenty-five years. The preliminary card features strawweights Mackenzie Dern and Amanda Lemos, bantamweights Merab Dvalishvili and former two-division champion Henry Cejudo, and strawweights.
In a bout against Topuria (14-0), a Georgian fighter with German ancestry who trains in Spain, Volkanovski (26-3) could make UFC history by being the first fighter to win the title twice after losing. In July 2018, Volkanovski thoroughly destroyed Yair Rodriguez, who had lost to Makhachev in his debut match.
Volkanovski’s schedule is packed, which speaks volumes about how dedicated and daring he is as a mixed martial arts champion. A mere two years before his sixth battle, he handily defeated Topuria. He said last week that he planned to participate in the historic UFC 300 on April 13.
Volkanovski’s cunning, multilingual opponent radiates confidence.
On his Instagram biography, Topuria refers to himself as a UFC “World Champion” despite losing. Topuria repeatedly highlighted Volkanovski’s guarantee this week, but she did it in the past tense each time.
She wept, “I’m better than him everywhere.” In the opening scene, I see his skull being sliced off. His featherweight titles are not going away. His legacy as a great featherweight boxer will endure. It was a significant triumph for him.
Topuria is a skilled fighter, but she has never faced Volkanovski.
Volkanovski is the strongest player when he is at his best because he can punch and kick opponents into the fence. In a bout like this, volume is insufficient; Topuria has never seen a fighter with the champion’s level of accuracy, and Volkanovski wins by better timing and extending his blows.
“I won’t be surprised, and you shouldn’t be surprised if I make it look easy,” Volkanovski said. Not that I’m advocating for that sequence. I’m not being arrogant. I’ve completed my homework. I will mock and degrade him in a humorous manner if he doesn’t punch.
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