Alexander Volkanovski criticizes UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria for avoiding fights with top contenders, suggesting that his title reign will be short-lived if he faces him or Max Holloway next.
Alexander Volkanovski isn’t exactly thrilled about Ilia Topuria’s reign. He’s got a hunch that Topuria’s time with the belt won’t last.
Topuria’s victory over Volkanovski at UFC 298 was a sight to behold. A knockout punch that left the Aussie legend unconscious on the mat. That win made Topuria the UFC featherweight champ, and the first to defeat Volkanovski in the 145-pound division.
Now, Topuria’s got options. A rematch with Volkanovski, perhaps? Or a face-off with recent “BMF” title winner Max Holloway? But then there’s also Conor McGregor and Brian Ortega. Volkanovski’s left scratching his head at those choices.
“Right now, he’s saying ‘No’ to everyone,” Volkanovski told Fox Sports Australia. “That’s the problem. He’s saying ‘No’ to Max Holloway, to Brian Ortega, to me, you name it. Not wanting to come to Australia, OK, but he’s saying ‘No’ to everyone. He’s saying ‘I don’t want to fight any of the contenders … I want to fight Conor McGregor’.”
That attitude? It’s not sitting well with people. When you’re the champ, you’ve got responsibilities. You can’t just keep saying, “Nah, nah, nah”. It’s not the right way to go about things.
Volkanovski doesn’t want to badmouth the guy. He took his shot, won, and now he’s playing the game. But he’s not acting like a champion. People got used to how Volkanovski acted as a champ. Now, they’ve got a guy who’s not sure when he wants to fight. Does he even want a fight soon? Probably not. But the UFC will likely make him. So who knows? Maybe this is just his way of hyping things up, saying no to everyone and then, bang, he signs for a fight.
Holloway’s been critical of Topuria’s rise. He’s wondering why Topuria was able to slide past him for a title shot. Holloway’s lost a trilogy of title fights to Volkanovski, but no other contenders have managed to definitively take his spot. He’s fended off Arnold Allen, Yair Rodriguez, and Calvin Kattar, and defended the UFC featherweight title three times.
Topuria’s win over Josh Emmett and then Volkanovski has given him some bargaining power with the UFC matchmakers. But Volkanovski warns that if Topuria ends up fighting him or Holloway next, his title reign will be over before it’s begun.
“Credit to the guy, he got me,” Volkanovski said. “No excuses. He capitalized on what I was doing. But now he’s calling out Conor McGregor? Or Islam Makhachev? It’s like ‘Yes, you beat the champ,’ but I was coming off a knockout for that fight, quick turnaround and—look, I don’t want to go there—but the guy still has a lot more to prove. Because I know I can do a much better job. I didn’t fight my fight and he capitalized, so credit to him. But I know I can go out there and make that fight look easy.
“I also believe Max can go out there and make that fight look easy. … I think Max wins that fight. Topuria is very dangerous, a great fighter. But I don’t think he’s as good as he thinks he is. And of course he caught me, right? So I can’t really say much. So I need to show everyone. I know I can do it, too. And I’m also quite confident Max can too, which is why I didn’t want him fighting Topuria before I did.”
Volkanovski doesn’t want to see Topuria suddenly jump into the BMF title conversation. Holloway earned that belt with a dramatic buzzer-beating knockout of Justin Gaethje at UFC 300. It was a five-round scrap between veteran fan favorites.
Until Topuria has built up his résumé, Volkanovski wants to see Topuria wait his turn for such opportunities.
“Of course, he hasn’t,” Volkanovski said, when asked if Topuria deserves a BMF title opportunity. “There’s no way. That’s just silly. He’s not in a position to call any shots, same as he’s not in the position to call out Islam Makhachev. Of course, I get him wanting to do that. I did it myself, but only after having done the work.”
“Topuria has still got more to prove,” he added.