Ilia Topuria continued his remarkable streak of knockout victories by defeating another legendary fighter at UFC 317. Topuria has rapidly ascended the pound-for-pound rankings, securing three consecutive title fight wins against major figures in the sport.
In his bout for the vacant lightweight championship, `El Matador` lived up to his words, stopping Charles Oliveira within the first round, treating the fight almost as a mere step in his career.
Boasting an unblemished 17-0 record, the undefeated champion presents a difficult challenge that nobody has yet overcome. However, one of his previous opponents believes he may have identified a possible vulnerability during Topuria`s recent fight in Las Vegas. Alexander Volkanovski, while not actively pursuing a rematch with Topuria at the moment, stated that he would adopt a different strategy if they were to face off again.
Alexander Volkanovski Saw Potential Weakness in Ilia Topuria During Charles Oliveira Fight
At UFC 298, Ilia Topuria claimed the featherweight title by stopping Alexander Volkanovski in the second round, ending Volkanovski`s impressive reign in the division. Volkanovski has since reclaimed a title, and although a second fight with `El Matador` was discussed at one point, talks subsided after Topuria vacated the 145-pound belt to move up a weight class.
During a recent appearance on the FLAGRANT podcast, `The Great` was asked how he would alter his approach for a potential rematch. Volkanovski light-heartedly joked, given their first fight`s outcome, that he`d focus more on wrestling if presented with another chance.
More seriously, Volkanovski suggested that a potential area of concern for Topuria, not yet fully exploited, might be his endurance, particularly when pressured by grappling. He recalled a specific sequence in the Oliveira fight:
“You want to see what’s going to happen with his gas tank… We want to see the gas tank. See what happens there because I thought Charles when he was taking him down and forcing the wrestling and the grappling, I felt like it was starting to wear on him a little bit. So even when he ended up on top when they grappled, I don’t know if you remember, Ilia gets up and then he was just staying up and kicking him, didn’t let him up. He waited. ‘I’m going to wait 30 seconds, kick his legs, get my breath back.`”
Despite this observation, Volkanovski acknowledged the significant challenge this strategy presents due to Topuria`s formidable power at close range.
“You want to catch him coming in because he wants to commit as well but there’s that danger of him landing as well,” he added.
Ilia Topuria Dismissed Idea of Rematch with Alexander Volkanovski After UFC 317 Win
Following his lightweight title victory, Ilia Topuria is setting his sights on new opponents within the division and has also expressed interest in competing at welterweight in the future. `El Matador` has indicated he has no intention of returning to the featherweight division.
When asked at the UFC 317 post-fight press conference about a potential rematch with Alexander Volkanovski at lightweight, Topuria dismissed the suggestion with a characteristic blunt response, stating, “No, no, no, no. We don’t want to do that to Volk.” This reaffirmed his focus on fresh challenges rather than revisiting past fights.
