On the media day for UFC 308, Ilia Topuria was spotted shaking hands with Alexander Volkanovski. Needless to say, the duo looked pretty respectable to each other during their brief interaction. But the Spaniard doesn’t want to touch gloves with ‘The Great’ in the way the former featherweight champion wanted. 

During the pre-fight press conference, a reporter asked the featherweight champion about his interaction with a former opponent. And all Topuria had for Volkanovski was respect. He said, “I always respect Volk. Always. Before the fight, after the fight, it was nothing personal. I was only fighting for my dreams.” 

It was the same scenario for ‘El Matador’ against Max Holloway. Even though he credited the BMF champion for everything he has achieved in the world of mixed martial arts, he wouldn’t back down from giving it his all in trying to defeat ‘Blessed’. He further admitted that he was a fan of Holloway. But now it was his time to shine. He continued, “So, he’s been a great example for me, but now it’s my turn to be that example for the new generation.”

The reporter let the Georgian-born fighter know about Alexander Volkanovski’s post-UFC 308 plan. In the perfect world that ‘The Great’ spoke about, he predicted that Topuria would win and fight him in Australia at UFC 312. But since he believed that Topuria wouldn’t agree to fight him in Australia, he began rooting for Max Holloway. But the featherweight king has another option for Volkanovski.

Ilia Topuria said, “Listen, if that makes me feel happy that thinking that maybe I will go to Australia, that’s okay. But myself, that’s never gonna happen. I’m the champion, and if you wanna fight for the title again, it has to be in Madrid, instead of fighting in Australia in front of your people. Why would I give you that advantage?”

Topuria beamed with confidence like never before during the press conference. But Volkanovski knew about the Spaniard’s spirits long before. Let’s see what the Australian had to say about his former opponent’s persona and confidence.  

Alexander Volkanovski credits Ilia Topuria for his champion-like persona

The former featherweight champion recently sat down for an interview with Kevin Iole, and of course, having fought both Holloway and Topuria before, he was asked to give some insights about the UFC 308 main eventers. Volkanovski reflected that Topuria’s personality had a tremendous impact on his fights. He said,  “Like he has the persona maybe because he likes to play on that because like even before our fight, he already had ‘Champion’ stuff like that alright. He would become confident but he likes to show that as well. And you have seen even after his fight after our fight you know he was quite happy and even like, ‘look what I just did.’ you know, big moment for him.”

‘El Matador’ himself revealed that his confidence comes from nothing but hard work. No one was born invincible. And the Octagon has witnessed many so-called invincible fighters break down in defeat. Knowing this, Topuria prepares optimally, which ensures his confidence and victories in the battles inside the cage.

But Holloway isn’t someone who can be taken lightly. Given the kind of performance he showcased in his last bout against Justin Gaethje, ‘El Matador’ needs to be pretty wary of him. And that is yet another strength that helps boost Topuria’s confidence. He indeed tends to take his opponents seriously and trains according to that.

What are your thoughts about Topuria’s refusal to face the former featherweight king in his own homeyard? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.