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Ilia Topuria knocking out Alexander Volkanovski shocked the MMA world this past weekend.
Going into the fight, Topuria was a slight underdog, considering Volkanovski's dominant run at featherweight. However, he proved the oddsmakers wrong by securing a vicious knockout in the second round of the title bout.
The knockout stunned the MMA community worldwide, and the fighters in attendance were no different. A video showcasing the live reactions of Sean O'Malley, Justin Gaethje, Jamahal Hill, and other fighters has gone viral on social media, where the fighters were in visible shock after seeing Topuria knock out Volkanovski.
Take a look at the video below:
By knocking out Volkanovski, Topuria became the first man to beat him in the featherweight division. Moreover, it was the former UFC featherweight champion's second consecutive loss via knockout after previously suffering the same fate at the hands of Islam Makhachev during their rematch.
Alexander Volkanovski calls for an immediate rematch against Ilia Topuria
While suffering back-to-back knockout defeats inside the octagon might be soul-crushing for a lot of fighters, Alexander Volkanovski has managed to keep his head high.
Following his defeat to Ilia Topuria, 'The Great' took to YouTube to release a video statement wherein he spoke about the fight. In the video, Volkanovski acknowledged the fact that it's impossible to keep winning all the time before vowing to return to winning ways in a rematch:
"You can't win them all, you know? Sometimes you're the hammer, sometimes you're the nail. Last night I was the nail, I've been the hammer many times, and I've ruined a lot of people's party many times. Last night, Ilia got the job done, I thought I was doing great. Felt great in there. I think the judges had me up the first round."
He added:
"I definitely want that rematch. Spain is what I'm hearing is gonna happen. Dana wants Spain, obviously, and Ilia wants Spain. That won't be until later in the year. So obviously the timing would be perfect for me to you know?"
Catch Alexander Volkanovski's call for a rematch against Ilia Topuria below (00:14):
