- Alexander Volkanovski slighted Ilia Topuria by saying his sparring partner is tougher to beat
- “El Matador” fired back at “The Great” and vowed to knock him out
Alexander Volkanovski is brimming with confidence as he gears up for his title fight against Ilia Topuria at UFC 298. For “The Great,” his current sparring partner and lightweight fighter Brad Riddell is tougher than “El Matador.” As expected, Topuria hit back.
Everything is going well
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Volk gave fans a glimpse of how his training camp has been so far. According to the reigning featherweight champ, everything is going well for him in camp and he has done a few sparring sessions with Riddell, whom he believes is a simulation of Topuria.
Volkanovski is confident that Riddell posed more threats than Topuria but he made it clear that he’s taking this fight seriously. He also pointed out that he would prove to “El Matador” that there is a reason why he is the king of the featherweight division.
“It’s been good training. I’ve got Brad Riddell over, who’s obviously a great training partner just in general but even stylistically. He’s obviously a very good boxer himself, I think he can sort of simulate Ilia,” Volkanovski said. “To be quite honest, I think he can give me a lot more problems than what Ilia will and that’s not knocking Ilia, that’s just showing how good Brad is.”
“Obviously, Brad’s had hundreds of kickboxing matches and had a heap of boxing matches so, and he’s a strong, stocky, powerful dude as well so it’s good to have him in,” he continued.
“He thinks he’s the man, let’s see if he is,” Volkanovski said of Topuria. “I’m ready for the best version that turns up February 17th. So, let’s see what we have in store. I’m gonna be ready either way. I see he’s confidence, he’s a cocky, confident young dude. Let’s see if he can really bring it ’cause I know I’m gonna, and I can’t wait to show him levels. I’ve seen a lot in my game, I still feel like I’m in my prime, and I get to show this young kid that there’s levels, and I am the king of this division and he ain’t taking nothing from me. I’m coming for that zero.”
Ilia did not let it slide
Unsurprisingly, Topuria learned about what Volkanovski said about him. In his response, “El Matador” refuted that he and Riddell are similar and he would let “The Great” realize it come fight night.
“If you think someone can imitate me, that means that your last fight has left you with lasting effects! I will knock you out in the first round. You’re old, it’s time to retire. It is time to move on and make way for the new era of Topuria,” Topuria wrote on X.
If you think someone can imitate me, that means that your last fight has left you with lasting effects! I will knock you out in the first round. You're old, it's time to retire. It is time to move on and make way for the new era of Topuria.
— Ilia Topuria (@Topuriailia) January 6, 2024
Topuria is coming in looking to improve his flawless pro MMA record to 15-0 and finally conquer the featherweight title with a KO win over Volkanovski. On the other hand, Volkanovski is out to prove to everybody that he is still one of the best fighters in the world despite suffering a humiliating KO loss to Islam Makhachev in their rematch.
Check out Volkanovski’s full video below:
