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Ilia Topuria is the best 145-pound fighter in the world and the UFC featherweight champion. But, according to him, nothing has changed since he shook up the division with a second-round knockout of Alexander Volkanovski in February.
“To be honest, it didn't change a lot for me, personally,” Topuria said. “Of course, it makes me feel very happy that I was able to achieve my goals, but I always lived as a world champion. In my mind, I always was a world champion. It was just a matter of time that it would manifest into reality in the present. So, from the people around, of course it changed a lot because they see me in a different way. But, for me, I'm the same one, always. I felt like the world champion, and I keep feeling that way.”
On Saturday, Topuria will defend his title for the first time against another veteran in the best featherweight of all-time conversation, Max Holloway. “Blessed” enters the UFC 308 main event on a three-fight winning streak highlighted by his fifth-round knockout of Justin Gaethje at UFC 300 in April. That BMF title fight captivated fans around the globe, and for good reason, but Topuria wasn’t impressed.
Order UFC 308: Topuria vs Holloway
“To be honest, I didn't like the fight at all,” he said. “The knockout was something amazing for the fans, but, as a professional, when you make a look at all the movements he did before he got the knockout, I was like, this is like a bar fight. There was no technique. They both were banging. I didn't like it because I didn't see any head movement. I didn't see any technique in that fight from his side. I didn't see anything special.”
Most of the world would disagree, but like Topuria pointed out, professional fighters see fights differently, and the 27-year-old has always approached the sport differently than his peers. Some may call him cocky, but there’s a difference between confident and cocky when you really believe what you’re saying, and Topuria has always been a believer. So when he talks about what he’s going to do to an upcoming opponent, it’s not meant in a malicious way; he’s just speaking what he believes is the truth. And 15 times as a pro, he’s been right.
“In the present time, there's two types of people,” Topuria explains. “One of them needs to see things to believe it, and the second type of people believe it and then they see it. I always believed in these kinds of things and that one day this will happen. So it wasn't any surprise for me when I see myself on these kinds of stages and I get recognized; I saw it already in my mind, so I just thank God every morning that he's giving me all the tools to achieve my goals. When God gives you a vision, he also gives you all the tools and skills to fulfill your goals and your dreams.”
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A pro since 2015, Topuria made his UFC debut in Abu Dhabi in October of 2020, decisioning Youssef Zalal over three rounds. It was a close fight, and no one was saying that “El Matador” was going to be a champion in less than four years. But he hit his mark in February, shocking many, but not the man with the gloves on.
“He (Volkanovski) is one of the greatest in the featherweight division,” said Topuria. “He's very technical, very fast, a very high Fight IQ, and he's been a great champion. I didn't beat someone who was walking in the street. I beat one of the greatest in the featherweight division. You have to give him his credit. But, as I always say, I represent the new generation of mixed martial arts. I think different right now. I bring a new style, new techniques, everything different.”
Full Fight | Ilia Topuria vs Alexander Volkanovski
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Full Fight | Ilia Topuria vs Alexander Volkanovski
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Which means that as great as Holloway has been, Topuria believes he will show him personally that the game has passed him by. Of course, Holloway is amused by such talk from the champion, but Topuria is sticking to his guns.
“Max Holloway has been talking a lot, but, at the same time, I understand him because he knows what he's going to face,” said Topuria. “He knows that. So he feels weak. He feels a lot of fear and he's showing that by taking his inside feelings outside. That's why he's reacting that way.”
It’s mental warfare at its most intense, and that’s even before one of the most highly anticipated fights of 2024 takes place, but Topuria dismisses such talk when it comes to the mind games that have been taking place between champion and challenger.
“I don't care if I win the mental war or not,” he said. “I'm going to win the fight. So I don't care about the mental war or if you believe what I'm telling you or if I'm going to do that. You're going to believe it.”
MMA Coaches Break Down Holloway vs Topuria This Saturday
That doesn’t mean Topuria isn’t above firing one more salvo at Holloway before fight night.
“What I keep saying is that he knows what he's going to face on October 26th,” said Topuria. “He knows that. He knows that I'm going to bring a different type of fight style, different technique, different skills, different power, everything different. He’s not going to feel the same way he felt in UFC 300. I'm not going to give him an inch to breathe. I'm not going to give him anything. He's going to be under my control from the first second of the fight and I'm going to prove that. Let's talk about numbers. We had one opponent in common, and Volkanovski beat him three times. What he couldn't do in 75 minutes, I did in seven minutes. He has seven professional defeats. I have zero. I'm the champion. He's the challenger. You want to keep talking? I'm younger than you. I'm hungrier than you. It’s just a matter of time. I will be the first one to take his lights out. I will be that one.”
UFC 308: Topuria vs Holloway took place live from Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates on October 26, 2024. See the final Prelim & Main Card results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
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