Reigning UFC Featherweight champion Alexander ‘The Great’ Volkanovski has warned fans not to be surprised if he makes it ‘look easy’ against Ilia Topuria.
The highly anticipated bout between the pair is set to go down this weekend, as it serves as the main event to UFC 298. There has been plenty of back and forth heading into the fight, with many seeing the contest as a young, hungry prospect potentially giving the long time champion his toughest challenge to date.
Speaking to the media, Volkanovski said that he was more than aware of the narrative that is building the around the fight, which he largely believes is to do with his loss to Lightweight champion Islam Makhachev last time out, but is ready and waiting for their to be a totally different narrative post fight. He said:
“You can say what you want. ‘Oh this is the guy, this is the guy.’ I will see if he is you know. Post-fight press conference, it's going to be a totally different conversation. You are going to be all of a sudden saying ‘Man, what are you going to do at Featherweight? There's nothing left for you. Look what you're doing to these guys.’
“So that's how I'm looking at this fight. Again, I prepared properly. I'm ready for a young, hungry prospect to come and bring a fight. But I won't be surprised, and you shouldn't be surprised, if I make it look easy. I not saying that's exactly how it is, I'm not cocky like that.
“I prepared properly. But if he doesn't land a punch and I ragdoll him and make him look like nothing in there, you shouldn't be surprised. And I guarantee that even though there is all this talk, post-fight press conference, you’re sitting there saying like ‘Oh yeah, he didn't stand a chance’ and the tone is going to be totally different.”
Although certainly not underestimated the task that lies ahead of him on Volkanovski, the Featherweight champion struggles to see, stylistically, what sets Topuria apart from anyone else that he has faced previously – and that there is potentially more being made of ‘El Matadors’’ unbeaten record, than there needs to be.
“Other than that, what should I be (worried about) like at least with, you know, when you were saying this with Yair Rodriguez, you were saying the kicks, the diversity in the kicks, the unorthodox style. Like all these weapons, you could literally point out all these danger factors because he's shown you that now people are just trying to throw up random numbers.
“It's just funny. People are going to be like ‘Oh, he's undefeated.’ You know what I mean? Like, you know what's a big threat? Maybe his boxing people can say boxing. Should I be worried about just a boxing style? I don't know.
But you know, and you could probably see my face. I ain't worried, you know what I mean? Like, again, everyone has a puncher’s chance and I'm always aware of that. I think the only way I ever lose in this division is someone catching me. Again, it's wrong to say Lucky Punch, but someone catching me, I think that's the only way anyone ever beats me and that's the case with this one. You know what I mean? Like, he ain't showing me things that are other than some good hands that I need to be worried about.”
Watch his full media day interview, here:
