The fight that made Ilia Topuria a superstar was against Alexander Volkanovski when he ended the 2-time champ’s first reign with an impressive knockout. ‘The Great’ would have to wait another year before regaining the belt at UFC 315. Despite losing to ‘El Matador’ with a KO, Volkanovski only had words of praise for Topuria and, in a way, backed him ahead of his lightweight title fight against Charles Oliveira.

The 2-time featherweight champion talks about the thing that he finds very interesting and commendable in Ilia Topuria. While people are talking about the Georgian-Spaniard having immense power in his hands, thanks to his KO wins over Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway, the Australian native has hailed the former champ’s commitment, determination, and, most importantly, his “focus.”

Alexander Volkanovski claims Ilia Topuria is a straight thinker and doesn’t feel like he needs to change his tactics even when things don’t go his way during a fight. He keeps trying to execute what he plans to perfection. “He’s got very good focus. Even when things aren’t going his way, he has this tunnel vision — like, ‘I’m gonna find that shot,'” ‘The Great’ stated on the Overdogs Podcast.

“You might be jabbing him up, jabbing, jabbing — he’s missing shots. Most people would start thinking, ‘Maybe I should hold back. I better not throw until I know the shot is there.’ They start second-guessing themselves. But I haven’t really seen that in Ilia,” the 2-time featherweight champion added. “When someone stays that stoic throughout the process, they’re always dangerous — because if he finds that shot, he can put anyone out, even in the lightweight division.”

So, Charles Oliveira may need to hear what Alexander Volkanovski had to say as the title fight is coming up this weekend at UFC 317. What ‘The Great’ has to align with ‘El Matador’s past comments. Just like continuing to throw down his punches until he connects, and that too, with the right one, Topuria claimed that he trains his mind to overcome hurdles. “It’s not just about training the body; it’s about preparing the mind to overcome any obstacle,” Ilia Topuria told Medium. 

Well, Ilia Topuria seems to have a lot of people backing him to become a double champion this weekend. Meanwhile, Team Khabib’s head coach, Javier Mendez, has warned about counting out Charles Oliveira, given he’s a veteran and a former champion. Here’s what he had to say.

Javier Mendez backs Charles Oliveira over Ilia Topuria

Ilia Topuria’s supporters are increasing day by day, with many famous figures, like tennis star Carlos Alcaraz, expressing their backing as well. But with more than a decade of experience at the highest level in the UFC, Charles Oliveira can never be overlooked. But Mendez gave Topuria his flowers and even spoke on Islam Makhachev‘s behalf about an interest in fighting the Georgian-Spaniard. However, the AKA coach still wants to see Oliveira come out victorious at the end of International Fight Week.

“It’s kind of stupid to count such a great champion like Charles. Charles is one of my favorites. So, outside of fighting us, I’m always rooting for him to win,” Javier Mendez told ‘Submission Radio’. “I’m on Charles’s side. I want him to win even though I’m impressed with Topuria, and even though Topuria would be a better matchup for us later if they give us that opportunity.”

Well, Ilia Topuria now has a reason to win the title as another big fight awaits him against Islam Makhachev. But perhaps Charles Oliveira will play the spoiler for ‘El Matador’ since he’s made a promise to win the title for his baby boy. Who do you think is taking the crown this weekend? Drop your comments below.