Media Ilia Topuria on fighting Volkanovski: “It will be one of the easier fights of my career so far”

[Istryker]

Watch Topuria actually mop up Volk under 3…

he will

 

[IneedSometop]

Holloway has done well/better in each time they met and i believe he won there second fight or third fight can't remember which one... whatever one he started to shut down the leg kicks of Volk in i think it was the third fight? .. i know one of them left me with a wonky feeling on the decision ..plus Max is just such a dog man...volk too...but Holloway is just so passionate in there and hes always game

You're thinking of the second fight Max won the first two rounds and had a solid case for the third round as well. That decision was controversial. I need you to rewatch the third fight. Volk beat the dog shit out of Max. Completely boat raced him. One of the worst 5 round drubbings in a title fight we've seen in a long time. It was the type of beating that had people thinking Holloway might be washed until he went out and won his next fight

 

[TheTickG]

Picking Topuria in this one. Willing to bet 0$. Hope I'm wrong though.

 

[WildShrimper]

He has the finishing power to make that happen, I don't think it will though.

 

[andgonsil]

Ilia will come and conquer

After losing his belt, Volk should take a year off and rest

 

[Paolo Delutis]

You're thinking of the second fight Max won the first two rounds and had a solid case for the third round as well. That decision was controversial. I need you to rewatch the third fight. Volk beat the dog shit out of Max. Completely boat raced him. One of the worst 5 round drubbings in a title fight we've seen in a long time. It was the type of beating that had people thinking Holloway might be washed until he went out and won his next fight

Maybe i am a little mixed up..ill definitely need to watch the entire series again such a great trilogy..

Max is amazing and so is Volk

 

[ExxA]

Watch Topuria actually mop up Volk under 3…

Wow 3 seconds!

 

[AMAZINGUFC]

Volk, the nefelibata runt who dreamed too much

 

[spinitch]

Volk invincibleness has shown cracks. Recently against an overrated LW and Max had one good outing that was very close. So perhaps Topuria has a chance but would hardly call it easy. Troll bait to stir up some PR. Spontaneous comments are an area many fighters struggle. Hoping for a good scrap.

 

[Conor Strickland]

Alex’s aura of invincibility has been completely shattered. The first loss wasn’t a huge issue. It was a close fight. He did really well. But getting ktfo is a whole different thing.

Everybody including himself knows he can be beaten now. It’s a whole new dynamic on both sides. He may bounce back great. Or he may not.

Hopefully it’s a great fight.

I feel the same way about his aura of invincibility. This feels the same as when Aldo got ko'd by Conor. Aldo just never looked the same afterwards to me or had anywhere near that same aura of invincibility he had before the Conor fight

 

[Bobble Head]

I think if it is one of the easier fights for him, it’s more Volk being on the decline than it is Topuria just being good enough to dethrone the FW king easily/steamroll him. Not to discredit Topuria, he’s a beast regardless, but it just is what it is IMO. Unfair assessment maybe, but there you go. Volk is at an advanced age for his weight class, and he just got brutally finished in a fight that tends to be the beginning of the end for older fighters. The stars may be aligning for Topuria to get that strap in dominant fashion.

I hope not though, Volk absolutely deserves the benefit of the doubt. That KO loss could mean nothing and he’s got some defenses left. Reluctantly picking Volk here.

EDIT: Wow, 50/50 spread on the poll at the time of this post. People are split on the outcome. Can’t wait to see the fight unfold!

 

[CPH]

Volk is going to eat up ilia's lead leg. That heavy boxing stance style is one that volk loves to fight. Ilia is a tank though and I can see him making it competitive earlier. I just don't think he has the style or the smarts to figure volk out, though, and I certainly don't think he has the cardio if this goes to championship rounds.

You are right about that. The lead leg will be there for Volk all night. However, I still don't think that there is an easy way to dismantle and finish Topuria. He appears to be durable and to land hard on him, Volk will have to step into his office. Will he be willing to do that? I doubt it. This is not Max kind of firepower we are talking about.

Cardio is definitely on Volk's side, I agree. Topuria's cardio is still quite good though, given how he fights and what he accomplishes. He coasted in that 5th rd vs Emmett but that's after 4 hard rounds and multiple attempts to finish. I think that Volk will have his hands full here and be in serious danger, not for two rounds but for the majority of the fight. I see a lot of people dismissing both Topuria's grappling and boxing skill. I look forward to seeing them properly tested vs Volk.

 

[Eric Silva 2.0]

Sooner or later, Volk is going to look old.

He's coming off a bad first round knockout loss and likely not taking a long enough break.

Toporia hits hard and is a finisher. His attitude shouldn't surprise anyone here. I think Volk will be the rightful favorite (via decision) but Ilia is a live dog - and if he gets it done, a stoppage is most likely.

In 6 UFC fights, he's gotten 4 stoppages, and God only knows how the beating he gave Emmet didn't end in a stoppage. That would likely have put away many other fighters.

Call me crazy but i'm going with Ilia as well. The combination of Volk's age and not taking a long enough break after getting KO'd is enough for me. Volk is old for a FW. This is a game of inches. It doesn't take much to slip to the point where you start losing. I think Volk is at that point now.

 

[fandangler101]

Alex’s aura of invincibility has been completely shattered. The first loss wasn’t a huge issue. It was a close fight. He did really well. But getting ktfo is a whole different thing.

Everybody including himself knows he can be beaten now. It’s a whole new dynamic on both sides. He may bounce back great. Or he may not.

Hopefully it’s a great fight.

Very true. The X factor of this fight is the KO loss. No denying that.

 

[jeff7b9]

....He's probably right. Volk will likely not become a better fighter at this point.

As much as I hate to admit it. There will come a day where volk gets old. It's going to happen any time now. I'm still rooting for volk, but I will not be surprised with anything that occurs during this fight.

The thing is, if Topuria wins, Volk got old.

And Volk IS OLD.

He is on the wrong side of 35 and that is not a statistically great place to be a championship fighter who can't ride all the roller coasters.

I think overall Volk is a way better way more complete fighter. But at some point the age will overcome him.

Ending a LONG championship streak, is USUALLY a matter of being the guy holding the golden ticket when the dominant champ gets old.

Weidman picked off Anderson when he was around 39.

Henry edged out MM when MM was 32, pretty old for 125.

Aldo had been champ for 6 or so years when Conor pulled his number.

 

[Pharenheit]

If this was 2-3 years ago Volk that would be an absolutely laughable quote. Not so much in 2024

 

[Oz.Pride]

Volk might just sub him for the lols

 

[Khaosan]

lol I can’t stand this guy.

 

[HolmeZy55]

Watch Topuria actually mop up Volk under 3…

LOL.

He couldn't even mop up Emmett who was a punching bag the entire fight, yet somehow he is gonna mop up one of the greatest FW's to ever do it.

 

[SaltedVinegarfootstomps]

Sooner or later, Volk is going to look old.

He's coming off a bad first round knockout loss and likely not taking a long enough break.

Toporia hits hard and is a finisher. His attitude shouldn't surprise anyone here. I think Volk will be the rightful favorite (via decision) but Ilia is a live dog - and if he gets it done, a stoppage is most likely.

In 6 UFC fights, he's gotten 4 stoppages, and God only knows how the beating he gave Emmet didn't end in a stoppage. That would likely have put away many other fighters.

Volk said in a Helwani interview that his mind knew what to do against Islam, but his body was not following direction. He may still squeeze some wins in, he’s amazing after all, but the drop off is coming.