SUMMARY
- Alexander Volkanovski will defend his featherweight belt against Ilia Topuria at UFC 298.
- During their face-off, Topuria said something to Volkanovski.
The upcoming UFC 298 card is filled with exciting matchups set to keep fans off their seats. It has the depth and talents that will surely deliver on the hype of the fight. Even among the stacked cards, the main event of featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski against the undefeated No. 2 ranked Ilia Topuria takes the cake solely based on the rivalry and buildup.
The two featherweights have been on each other for the past few months, which has immensely helped in the fight promotion and PPV sales. Topuria has been the instigator most of the time, to the point where fans are even comparing the UFC fighter to Prime Conor McGregor at featherweight. The Spanish fighter does draw inspiration from the Irish icon and has put it all into creating the animosity and hype behind the fight.
Volk was asleep when Topuria was speaking 😴 #UFC298 pic.twitter.com/fKHBGrQvL9
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) February 16, 2024
The two challengers came face-to-face at the recent UFC 298 press conference. Things got heated up quickly between them, and it was a thoroughly entertaining experience for the fans. Alexander Volkanovski, who doesn’t usually take part in rivalries and mostly stays respectful to his opponents, made a hilarious taunt towards Topuria, showing up dressed as an old man with glasses based on the Spanish fighter’s remarks.
Ilia Topuria caught off character against Alexander Volkanovski during UFC 298 faceoffs
Many felt Ilia Topuria had been highly disrespectful of the first Australian-born UFC champion. This was more highlighted, as it wasn’t taken in good taste by the champion. Alexander vowed to teach the 27-year-old a lesson and is committed to making him humble during the fight. Fans and media did notice an unusual remark made by Topuria amid all the trash talk and chaos during the press conference.
“I respect you as a person and as a professional. I’m just following my dreams.”
Respect. pic.twitter.com/8nEStqYAMg
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) February 16, 2024
“I respect you as a person and as a professional. I’m just following my dreams,” said Ilia Topuria to Alexander Volkanovski during their face-offs. This can be seen as Topuria breaking character to acknowledge the highly acclaimed and former pound-for-pound No. 1 champion. This made the fans respect the featherweight, who unintentionally admitted putting up an act for promotions.
Ilia Topuria grabs Alexander Volkanovski’s belt ahead of 298 showdown
Alexander Volkanovski accepted his challenger’s acknowledgement, shaking his hand. Many instances during the conference might trigger a different response by the Champion during the bout. One of the most notable acts would be Ilia Topuria stealing the champion’s belt at the moment and trash-talking him. This was identical to what Conor McGregor did during his first UFC title shot against Jose Aldo.
TOPURIA TOOK VOLK’S BELT 😱 #UFC298 pic.twitter.com/5H4CBp2q7h
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) February 16, 2024
With similar records, backgrounds, and fighting styles, both Conor and Ilia do draw a lot of comparisons. Many believe Topuria has taken pages from the former double champ’s book to create hype around the fight and get into the mindset of his opponent. There isn’t a line in sports and entertainment that has been proven during past iconic bouts, including fighters such as Conor McGregor, Colby Covinington, Chael Sonnen, Michael Bisping, etc.