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Alexander Volkanovski has vowed to deal Ilia Topuria a humbling beating at UFC 298. The two featherweights will square off in the event headliner, where Volkanovski's 145-pound strap will be up for grabs. Ahead of the matchup, Topuria has built a narrative around how easily he believes he will beat Volkanovski.
The defending champion, however, sees things differently. In a sitdown with renowned MMA interviewer Megan Olivi, 'The Great' offered his thoughts on Topuria's confidence ahead of their bout, and he feels eager to teach his foe a lesson in humility.
"We'll see how confident he is when he starts, you know... well, let's see if, you know, I plan on doing what I do in February. You might see a bit of change in his tone after that. He hasn't had someone to do that to him yet. But that's why, you know, I believe he'll be getting taught a lesson. Maybe a bit of humbling."
Volkanovski went as far as labeling Topuria delusional, which other featherweights have as well due to the Spaniard claiming that 'The Great' would be one of the easiest wins of his career. However, Volkanovski also understands that confidence is powerful and that he too has been branded delusional in the past.
"I don't care how easy I think it is, I'm always gonna prepare. I'm going to prepare for the worst, so I don't mind me... so people can I say I'm delusional, but I know that I'm gonna do everything I can to back that. Maybe he is, I don't know. Again, it definitely can be a positive to be that confident. But at the same time, if he's used to just being the hammer, he's gonna crumble."
Check out Alexander Volkanovski talk his upcoming fight with Ilia Topuria (11:56):
Both fighters are confident that UFC 298 will be a relatively easy fight for them, with Volkanovski believing that Topuria will be in for a rude awakening. Meanwhile, Topuria believes that the Australian is merely a stepping stone on his journey to fulfilling his world championship destiny.
Alexander Volkanovski is on a career-worst run
Alexander Volkanovski has been a winner for most of his career. He has only lost thrice in 29 fights. Unfortunately, two of those losses occurred in his last three bouts; separated only by a featherweight win over Yair Rodriguez.
Check out Islam Makhachev knocking out Alexander Volkanovski:
Not only is he 1-2 in his last three bouts, but he is also coming off a knockout loss. The knockout in question was authored by Islam Makhachev, whom the Australian disastrously stepped in to face on short notice at UFC 294.
