SUMMARY
- Ilia Topuria landed a massive blow in Alexander Volkanovski's face to knock him out at UFC 298.
- Volkanovski posted a video on his YouTube channel to share a health update.
UFC 298 has come to an end, and it has delivered in every way we expected it to. The UFC has a new featherweight champion, and that too in spectacular fashion. Alexander ‘The Great’ Volkanovski was knocked out by Ilia ‘El Matador’ Topuria in the second round, making the Spaniard the new featherweight champion.
It is the morning after UFC’s second Pay-Per-View of the year, and there’s a lot that has happened since. Topuria knocking Volkanovski out cold, just like he said, would have created quite a stir in the MMA world. Let’s take a closer look at some of the news that has come out since UFC 298’s conclusion.
Ilia Topuria’s family’s live reaction to UFC 298 KO
El Matador in a single night made not one but two countries proud. The man who grew up in Georgia and later moved to Spain became the first UFC champion from both countries. But for a certain family, the emotions were running high, and happiness was paramount.
Topurias family reacting to his win against Volkanovski pic.twitter.com/xhkHLOFzgK
— 🇬🇪 (@KKvara77) February 18, 2024
A video was posted on X by @KKvara77, which showed the Topuria family in high spirits. They celebrated Ilia Topuria’s win over Volkanovski to clinch the title. In what looked like a heartwarming clip, all of his close and extended family were ecstatic about the success of one of their own, and that emotion was on full display.
Alexander Volkanovski shares health update post-UFC 298
After getting knocked out by Topuria in the second round of the fight, Alexander Volkanovski stayed on the ground, gathering himself up for a good minute or two. Such was the impact of the right hook that made him go limp. The following day, the former featherweight champ provided an update to his fans via his YouTube channel.
He said, “I just thought I’d do a video to just let you know I’m all good and obviously to talk about what happened last night… This is a crazy game we play. You can’t win them all. You know, sometimes you’re the hammer, sometimes you’re the nail. Last night, I was the nail.” Volkanovski then proceeded to break down from his perspective and express his desire for a rematch.
Conor McGregor reacts to Ilia Topuria’s callout on Instagram
In the post-match Octagon interview with the newly crowned champion, Ilia Topuria called out one of the biggest names in the game, Conor McGregor. Topuria said, “Conor McGregor, if you still have some b*lls, I will be waiting for you in Spain.” The former two-division champ, though, is not the kind of person who’d just sit back and do nothing.
Conor McGregor with a response to Ilia Topurias Callout pic.twitter.com/nwizJgoRoz
— Benny P 🇦🇺 (@Bendaman2001) February 18, 2024
And he replied to Topuria’s callout in typical Conor McGregor style. Taking to Instagram, ‘The Notorious’ commented under ESPN SportsCenter’s Instagram post, which featured Ilia’s callout. “I have huge b*lls, I’ve four kids,” McGregor wrote.
Dana White confirms UFC is going to Spain
Real Madrid CF’s home stadium, the legendary Santiago Bernabeu, was recently renovated and now includes a closing roof. Ilia Topuria has often talked about how he wants to fight in Spain, especially at the Bernabeu. Following his triumph in Anaheim against Volkanovski, his words might turn into a reality soon, and even Dana White concurred in the post-fight press conference.
White declared, “We are definitely going to Spain.” He further added, “Who he is going to be facing? I don’t know yet. I have a lot of respect for Volkanovski, we’ll see how that plays out. As long as there’s a venue, we are going to Spain.” An excited media person then talked about Bernabeu’s facilities, including its retracting roof. To which White, appreciating the suggestion, said, “I like it! Sounds good, yeah”.
With UFC 298 behind the MMA world, fans are now looking forward to the upcoming UFC events. It sure was a wonderful and stacked event, as every fight was up to the mark, with the main event being the perfect icing on the cake. That is, at least, for Topuria fans, and now they’ll be looking forward to UFC Spain; who knows, maybe Topuria will headline the event in his homeland.