Cheeky…or confident?
Despite the fact that the fight against reigning featherweight champion Alex Volkanovski in UFC 298 is still a couple of months away, Ilia Topuria has already taken to social media to promote himself as the “UFC World Champion.” The event has been confirmed to take place on February 17, 2024 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.
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Ilia Topuria seems to be his own biggest fan.
Volkanovski (26-3) suffered a surprising first-round KO defeat to Islam Makhachev at UFC 294 last October, resulting in a quick rematch, which he ultimately lost. However, he remains determined to reclaim his position.
Topuria (14-0) has managed to maintain his undefeated record, securing a victory over featherweight bruiser Josh Emmett last June at UFC on ABC 5. His performance has led to him being considered as a leading contender, bypassing other top-ranked opponents due to the dominance of Volkanovski and Max Holloway.
In an interview, Volkanovski expressed skepticism about Topuria’s elite level and suggested that he needs to demonstrate more to prove himself as a serious threat.
He highlighted the need for Topuria to showcase skills beyond just being fundamentally sound, emphasizing the requirement for a higher level of performance, particularly in terms of submissions.
Volkanovski also maintained that he has yet to see anything particularly remarkable from Topuria and challenged him to exhibit impressive, durable, and powerful attributes in order to truly stand out as a formidable opponent.
For more details about the fighters participating in UFC 298, click here.
