Ilia Topuria eyes an early finish against Alexander Volkanovski next, but will fight Max Holloway on one condition

Ilia Topuria has suggested that he'd like to fight UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski next. Topuria also addressed the possibility of fighting former UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway if the Volkanovski matchup doesn't materialize.

Topuria's most recent fight transpired earlier tonight (June 24th, 2023) at the UFC Jacksonville event. The featherweight put on a dominant performance in the event's headlining matchup, defeating Josh Emmett via unanimous decision.

During the UFC Jacksonville post-fight press conference, a journalist alluded to the speculation that Alexander Volkanovski could possibly move up in weight again for a rematch against UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev in October. That is provided Volkanovski is able to beat interim UFC featherweight champion Yair Rodriguez in their title unification fight at UFC 290 on July 8th.

Topuria, for his part, claimed that he'd likely finish Volkanovski early if they fought. Discussing a potential showdown against 'Volk,' the 26-year-old who's fresh off an impressive win, said:

"I showed it tonight that no one can match my level of skill inside the cage. I think everyone agrees with me. I know that I can finish anyone in this division. So, Josh [Emmett] was tough tonight. But I beat him pretty easy. And it's not going to be different with Alex [Volkanovski]. The rest of this is going to be the same. I'm going to knock him out in the first round, second round. If not, I'm gonna dominate him for five rounds. No problem."

Watch Ilia Topuria discuss the topic at 3:25 in the video below:

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Ilia Topuria's next fight could see him face Max Holloway

Presently, former UFC featherweight kingpin Max Holloway is scheduled to fight 'The Korean Zombie' aka Chan Sung Jung, at the upcoming UFC Fight Night event on August 26th. Holloway has lost thrice to current UFC featherweight kingpin Alexander Volkanovski. Considering that, it's believed that Holloway is still a few more wins away from another title shot.

During the UFC Jacksonville post-fight press conference, Ilia Topuria was asked whether he'd consider fighting Max Holloway instead of Alexander Volkanovski next, since 'Volk' could be busy with another fight. The Georgian-Spanish athlete responded by suggesting that he'd face Holloway next only if their fight takes place in Spain. Topuria stated:

"Busy no busy. I don't know if he [Volkanovski] is busy. I'm the next guy in the line. I can wait. One of the best skills I have is the patience. If they offer me to fight with Max Holloway in Spain, let's do it. If not, I'm gonna wait for my title shot. That's all."

Check out Ilia Topuria's comments regarding Holloway at 2:42 of his post-fight press conference