Alexander Volkanovski is gearing up for his sixth featherweight title defense at UFC 298. He will take on the undefeated Ilia Topuria, who’s been touted as a force to be reckoned with in Dana White‘s promotion. However, Volkanovski has a plan for that fight and that is to humble the Georgian-Spanish fighter.

Ilia Topuria has fast risen to be one of the top contenders in the 145-pound division. He has finished four out of the six opponents he’s faced in the UFC and even put on a clinic against Josh Emmett. However, Alexander Volkanovski claims that Topuria hasn’t proven himself yet.

Alexander Volkanovski claims Ilia Topuria hasn’t fought top contenders

‘The Great’ is aware of how much impact Ilia Topuria has had in the UFC since he joined the promotion. However, Alexander Volkanovski argued that he hasn’t yet fought top contenders to prove that he’s one of the best in the featherweight division. Nevertheless, the champion is not counting out what Topuria can bring to the table. Volkanovski said, “He’s [Topuria] a dangerous opponent… He probably hasn’t proved himself against the top guys, but it doesn’t mean he’s not as good as he says he is.”

The Aussie star also did not count out Ilia Topuria’s striking abilities. But Alexander Volkanovski is confident that his experience and excellent fight IQ will help him retain the title. “Obviously, everyone does have a puncher’s chance but to be quite honest, I think that’s all he’s got and I am very confident in my experience and how calculated I am [and] my fight IQ and I think that’s what gets it done,” the featherweight champion added at the UFC 298 Sydney press conference. He further revealed that he had another intention in mind for the fight. Let’s see what that plan is.

‘The Great’ wants to humble Topuria

Alexander Volkanovski is not leaving any stone unturned in preparation for the fight on February 17. He and his team are working on certain strategies to edge past Ilia Topuria. Volkanovski further stated, “There’s a lot of strategy behind it and not only that, obviously sharpening my tools everywhere as well… There’s things you need to be careful with him, but at the same time, I make people fight my fight.”

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Despite his diligent preparation, Volkanovski claimed that he’s on another level than Ilia Topuria, and he is planning to show him that when they lock horns inside the Octagon. But the most important thing the champion wants to do is to give ‘El Matador’ an ego check if he is dreaming of becoming a champion in the UFC. “If he ever gets to that point where he’s going to be a champion or a great champion, he needs me to do what I plan on doing to him. I’m going to give him a good humbling and maybe he can bounce back after that, learn a thing or two and we’ll see what happens from there,” Volkanovski added.

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Alexander Volkanovski has already cemented his status as one of the greatest UFC fighters to ever step foot inside the Octagon. There has been no one in the featherweight division to topple him from his championship status in recent years. Will he be able to defend his title successfully for the sixth time? We will find that out at UFC 298.

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