"Wrestle the bloke" - Alexander Volkanovski gives honest take on how to beat Ilia Topuria

Alexander Volkanovski gave his take on how to defeat Ilia Topuria, who has become an instant sensation among the MMA community with his recent octagon performances.

Topuria became the first unbeaten UFC fighter to claim belts in two divisions by brutally knocking out Charles Oliveira at UFC 317 last weekend. Prior to Saturday, the Georgian-Spaniard was coming off knockout victories against Volkanovski and Max Holloway, making everyone take notice of his powerful hands. However, his wrestling prowess is yet to be tested properly.

In a recent appearance on the FLAGRANT podcast, Volkanovski was asked about the strategy to overcome Topuria. In response, the reigning featherweight kingpin suggested that fighters challenge Topuria to wrestling duels rather than focusing on striking:

''Wrestle the bloke, man. That's what you want to see – what's going to happen with his gas tank. So even with Ilia, great fighter, like even a lot of the things he does, like I'm sure a lot of it's well trained, and then he's got so many good instincts as well. Even him just shifting that way, he probably trained for that... but we want to see the gas tank.''

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Check out Alexander Volkanovski's comments below (1:26:35):

Topuria beat Volkanovski via second-round knockout to win the featherweight title at UFC 298 in February last year. 'El Matador' then successfully defended the belt against Holloway at UFC 308 before vacating the title and moving to lightweight.

Meanwhile, Volkanovski returned after a 14-month break to face Diego Lopes at UFC 314 for the vacant featherweight belt. The Australian won via unanimous decision.

When Alexander Volkanovski acknowledged that his decision to fight Ilia Topuria was a mistake

Despite suffering a devastating head kick by Islam Makhachev in their rematch, Alexander Volkanovski made a quick return and took on Ilia Topuria at UFC 298 four months later. Volkanovski was knocked out by Topuria in the second round with a brutal right hook.

During a conversation with Demetrious Johnson earlier this year, 'The Great' opened up about his loss, saying:

''A lot of people thought I was mad fighting three months later against Ilia Topuria, but no one could have changed my mind... They’re like, 'Oh, what about you’re coming off a knockout loss, that messes with your confidence and all that'... I didn’t believe any of that... the only time I maybe felt something, a little bit, was when I was in the cage. That’s where I was like, 'Alright, maybe there is something to this.'”

Check out Alexander Volkanovski's comments below (48:12):

About the author

Swagat is a dynamic MMA writer with a total experience of a little less than a year, which includes time in retail and sports journalism. He holds an MBA degree.

Swagat fell in love with the sport after watching the iconic grudge match between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier at UFC 182 in early 2015. Nate Diaz holds a special place in his heart for the Stockton native’s entertaining fan-friendly style and ability to deliver exciting fights regardless of the opponent.

In terms of rule changes in MMA, Swagat advocates for making scores public after each round, adding transparency to judging decisions.

Swagat prioritizes accuracy and relevance while writing and conducts thorough research to ensure the content is fresh and reliable.

He enjoys playing football and painting during his free time.

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Edited by Swagat Kumar Jena