“Another inactive champ?”, “You’ll do what ya told” – Fans react to Ilia Topuria ruling out Alexander Volkanovski rematch at UFC 305

Ilia Topuria has recently discussed the possibility of a rematch against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 305 in Perth, Australia. Despite pressure from the reigning UFC featherweight champion, Topuria made it clear that he will not be forced into a rematch, and also provided an update on the progress of his next fight.

In February, Topuria faced off against Volkanovski in the main event of UFC 298 at the Honda Center in California for the 145-pound championship. Despite predictions favoring Volkanovski, Topuria delivered a powerful second-round knockout, earning him the title of the new featherweight champion in the UFC.

During a recent interview with @RadiogacetaRNE, Topuria shared his thoughts on the possibility of a Volkanovski rematch, as reported by @ChampRDS on X.

“I am the world champion now; why would I go to defend the belt at my rival house?”

Additionally, he stated that he will be traveling to Miami this week to meet with UFC officials in order to confirm his upcoming opponent and fight date. Following @ChampRDS’s publication of his statements on X, fans quickly flooded the comments section to share their opinions.

As one fan eloquently expressed:

“You’ll do what ya told.”

One more fan inquired:

“So we’re gonna have another inactive champ?”

Discover additional responses in the section below:

Alexander Volkanovski reveals strategy to defeat Ilia Topuria at UFC 298

Ilia Topuria recently revealed the approach he had planned to defeat Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 in February. As previously stated, ‘El Matador’ secured a dominant second-round knockout, resulting in the Australian’s first loss in the featherweight division.

During a recent interview with Kristina Avsarkisova from Europop, the Georgian-Spanish fighter shared fascinating insights into his training for the upcoming fight and outlined his strategy for the match. He stated:

“It was precisely that – long combinations. We’ve noticed that Volkanovski moves a lot around the octagon, but we also knew that, at some point, he would stop and exchange with me… You move for a bit, then stop to attempt a combination.”

He proceeded to say:

“We knew this was coming so we stuck to long combinations because once you slip or block the first one or two punches, it’s a natural instinct to stop and lower your hands… I had to grab that opportunity. I was waiting for Alex to stop and exchange punches and I knew that would be the time when the KO would come. This is why I was very calm and patient.”