Fans react to Alexander Volkanovski's hilarious faux pas while cornering Colby Thicknesse at UFC 312: "How much damage did Ilia Topuria do"

Alexander Volkanovski had fans in stitches during UFC 312 when he nearly took a sip from a bottle while giving corner advice to Colby Thicknesse.

The former featherweight champion, renowned for his high fight IQ, appeared to momentarily switch to autopilot, instinctively grabbing the bottle before catching his mistake. The moment didn’t go unnoticed, as cameras caught the quick blunder, prompting a wave of online reactions.

Check out the video of Alexander Volkanovski below:

Several fans took to X to react to the video. Some suggested he was still stuck in fighter mode, while others laughed at how he seemed ready to refuel mid-coaching. They wrote:

"How much damage did [Ilia] Topuria do."

"Volk momentarily thought he was being called in on the shortest notice."

"Bro is still in trauma of that KO."

"Get him back in there he misses the octagon."

"Ilia hit him harder than we thought."

Volkanovski joked about the viral moment on an Instagram post by ESPN MMA, writing:

"Cornering [is] thirsty work."

Check out some of the reactions below:

Fans react to a funny viral moment of Alexander Volkanovski. [Screenshots courtesy: @HappyPunch on X and @espnmma on Instagram]

This wasn’t the only time Volkanovski and Topuria were linked during UFC 312. The two came face-to-face at the weigh-ins. Ilia was cornering his brother Aleksandre Topuria, while Volkanovski cornered teammate Thicknesse.

As for the fight, Topuria made a strong statement in his UFC debut, securing a dominant unanimous decision win over short-notice replacement Thicknesse. Fighting a weight class below his brother, UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria, 'El Conquistador' displayed sharp striking, fluid movement, and well-timed takedowns to control the fight.

The highlight of the bout came in the opening round when he executed a slick belly-to-back suplex and hurt his opponent on the feet. While Thicknesse remained tough and competitive, he struggled to find his rhythm against Topuria’s relentless pressure.

With this win, Aleksandre Topuria extended his streak to four and announced his arrival in the talent-stacked UFC bantamweight division.