UFC featherweight title contender Ilia Topuria has big dreams of boxing unified super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez.
Topuria is gearing up for his first UFC championship opportunity. He’ll be challenging Alex Volkanovski for the UFC Featherweight Championship on February 17, 2024. The title fight will headline UFC 298. While this is a huge moment for “El Matador,” he has a lofty goal when thinking big picture.
Ilia Topuria Wants Canelo Alvarez Fight One Day
During an appearance on the “OverDogs Podcast,” Ilia Topuria said that while he holds Canelo Alvarez in high regard, he wants to trade leather with him inside the boxing ring.
“I would love to fight one day with Canelo,” Topuria said. “I have so much respect for him, but I wanna fight with him one day. Once I will become a UFC world champion I wanna go for him because I really think I have my chances with him.”
Topuria might’ve gotten a bit of a motivational boost after former UFC heavyweight champion and current PFL fighter Francis Ngannou nearly defeated WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.
Topuria’s Advantage Over Alex Volkanovski
Of course, “El Matador” understands that his immediate focus needs to be on the Alex Volkanovski title fight. Topuria revealed one area of his game that he feels “The Great” will struggle with.
“So, I just went back to my backgrounds,” Topuria said. “I’m doing a lot of grappling, a lot of wrestling because that is where I really think that I have the advantage with him. He’s a good striker, but he’s not a natural wrestler or he’s not good at the grounds, and that is where I’m gonna make the difference.”
Here is Ilia Topuria’s full appearance on the “OverDogs Podcast:”
