Alexander Volkanovski: "The future of our children is complicated" - Ilia Topuria issues hilarious response when asked to predict Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes

"The future of our children is complicated" - Ilia Topuria issues hilarious response when asked to predict Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes

By Souvik Roy

Modified Mar 08, 2025 18:38 GMT

Ilia Topuria makes a hilarious remark related to the Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes fight. [Image Courtesy: Getty Images]

Ilia Topuria recently came up with a hilarious response after he was asked to predict the winner of the upcoming UFC featherweight title fight between Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes.

It hasn't been long since Topuria decided to vacate the UFC featherweight title. 'El Matador' claimed it with a second-round TKO victory over Volkanovski early in 2024 at UFC 298. Then, he secured his first title defense at UFC 308 by defeating Max Holloway in the third round of their encounter.

However, Topuria set his sights on claiming the UFC lightweight gold earlier this year. In late February, the Spaniard announced that he would be vacating the UFC featherweight title to fare his chances at lightweight. Subsequently, the UFC brass decided to pit the former champ, Volkanovski against Lopes with the vacant featherweight gold on the line for the main event of UFC 314.

A recent X update from @Home_of_Fight showcased one of Topuria's recent interviews, where he was asked to predict the results for the Volkanovski vs. Lopes encounter scheduled for UFC 314. He replied:

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"I don't know how to predict the future. The future of our children is complicated."

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Ilia Topuria accused Islam Makhachev of being scared to fight him

A large chunk of the UFC fanbase counted Ilia Topuria as the favorite to be Dana White's specially negotiated rival for the current lightweight champ, Islam Makhachev. Subsequently, Topuria also confirmed that a fight with Makhachev was in the works in one of his previous interviews.

Recent reports say that Makhachev's team wants Topuria to prove his mettle at lightweight before granting him a shot at the divisional title. However, the former featherweight king accused the Dagestani lightweight champ of ducking him on account of being "afraid".

An Instagram post from @champ.rds showcased Topuria giving his take on Makhachev's refusal to fight him. He said:

"[Islam Makhachev's] afraid. Of course, he is afraid. It was an easy fight until they put his name on the contract. [But] we all know if it was that easy and if I’m ‘small’ as he says, he would’ve shared the octagon with me. There’s a reason he doesn’t want to. I understand [that]. So, it’s ok, [he can] go up [to welterweight]."

About the author

Souvik took up writing as his profession in 2019 and has worked for various publications, including EssentiallySports and The SportsRush since then.
While he holds a diploma in electrical engineering, Souvik’s love for combat sports and the written word has ensured a seamless transition to his current profession.
As of the UFC, Dustin Poirier is his favorite fighter. 'The Diamond's' respectful attitude in a trash-talk-heavy sport makes Souvik root for him. Poirier's five-round war against Dan Hooker in June 2020 is his all-time favorite MMA scrap to date.
Furthermore, he is of the opinion that MMA has taken over boxing as the world’s top combat sport due to the regularity of events.
Coming to his writing, Souvik will do everything to ensure that his pieces are informative and relevant, which is perhaps why one of his articles is still the most viewed in the MMA division of EssentiallySports.
Souvik’s other interests include singing (he’s a frontman for a rock band in Kolkata), playing guitar, and watching documentaries.

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Edited by Tejas Rathi