Ilia Topuria predicts Korean Zombie vs. Alexander Volkanovski; weighs in on Calvin Kattar's bruising win over Giga Chikadze

Ilia Topuria recently discussed his upcoming fight, the featherweight title picture and more in an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA.

Topuria, 24, is considered by many to be one of the brightest MMA prospects coming out of Georgia right now. He currently holds an unblemished 11-0 professional record. His knockout wins over Damon Jackson and Ryan Hall have established him as one to watch heading into 2022.

Topuria will next step into the octagon this weekend at UFC 270 to battle Charles Jourdain. He was initially scheduled to fight Movsar Evloev, but the Russian was ruled out of the contest due to an undisclosed issue.

During his interaction with Sportskeeda MMA's James Lynch, Topuria opened up about his thoughts on fellow Georgian Giga Chikadze's recent loss to Calvin Kattar.

“Yeah, I watched the fight yesterday. They both did well, it was a great fight. Both showed big heart and it was a great fight. I was a little bit sad, I wanted Giga to win, but sometimes things like this happen, you know.”

Catch our exclusive interview with Ilia Topuria below:

Kattar surprised many fans and pundits with his performance against Chikadze. He won an emphatic decision after busting 'Ninja' up pretty badly across five rounds.

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Who did Ilia Topuria pick to win Alexander Volkanovski vs. Korean Zombie?

When asked what will happen when Alexander Volkanovski defends his belt against 'The Korean Zombie' Chan Sung Jung later this year, Topuria didn't waste any time in giving a formal prediction.

“Volkanovski is gonna take the fight, yeah. I think so. Volkanovski is gonna take [win] the fight.”

The unpredictable nature of the featherweight division means we're likely to be in store for many more surprises in 2022. For Ilia Topuria, he can't afford to get too far ahead of himself.

Charles Jourdain may not be the favorite to some but he's definitely a live underdog in this contest. Topuria has an array of skills that he's showcased thus far in his UFC career. However, the same is true for Jourdain, who is riding a small wave of momentum after defeating Andre Ewell back in December.

'El Matador' has already made his way over to California in preparation for fight week as the UFC gears up for its first official pay-per-view of the year.

The main event will see Francis Ngannou defend the UFC heavyweight title against interim champion Ciryl Gane. Topuria vs. Jourdain is set to go down on the prelims.