"He struggled there" - Alexander Volkanovski shares take on Ilia Topuria handling first PPV main event "pressure" ahead of UFC 298

Alexander Volkanovski recently opened up about his upcoming featherweight title fight against Ilia Topuria at UFC 298 and spoke about how his opponent has been handling the pressure of featuring in a headlining fight.

Volkanovski will go up against Topuria for his sixth title defense this weekend at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. In the build-up to this fight, 'El Matador' didn't shy away from trash-talking the reigning featherweight champion and has notably presented a supremely confident demeanor over the past few weeks.

During the UFC 298 press conference, Topuria channeled Conor McGregor as he snatched Volkanovski's belt away before security officials stopped the scuffle. However, 'The Great' has maintained a calm and composed attitude and didn't appear fazed by Topuria's antics.

In a recent interview with MMA journalist Aaron Bronsteter, the Australian pointed out that Topuria would feel the pressure of being under the spotlight of a main event fight, which may have affected his behavior. He said:

"It's more about him feeling my presence... I've been, and I've seen so much. First press conference, the first bit of the pressure of a main event, and all that. He didn't deal with it very well. He struggled there... I'm used to all this."

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Max Holloway predicts Alexander Volkanovski vs. Ilia Topuria at UFC 298

Max Holloway recently shared his predictions for the UFC 298 main event title fight between Alexander Volkanovski and Ilia Topuria. The former featherweight champion predicted in favor of Volkanovski and foresees the Australian finishing the Georgian-Spanish challenger.

'The Great' is widely considered among the greatest featherweight champions in promotional history and has one of the most impressive resumes ever. He has a professional record of 26-3 and is undefeated as a featherweight. Volkanovski notably snatched the 145-pound strap away from Holloway at UFC 245 in December 2019 and has defended it successfully five times.

Despite their past rivalry, 'Blessed' is backing Volkanovski over Topuria at UFC 298 this weekend. During a recent UFC 300 Q&A session, he shared his prediction for this weekend's headliner and said:

"Brother... There's a reason they didn't give me Ilia. They wanted him to make it to this fight... Volk man. Volk is hearing you guys chatter. Volk's last fight - getting finished, whatever. He's hearing the 'Old Man' talk. The guy really has the dog in him; you guys are going to find out tomorrow. I think he finishes Ilia within four or five [rounds]."