Former UFC featherweight champion and lightweight champion Ilia Topuria explained why he won’t rematch Alexander Volkanovski.
Topuria knocked out Volkanovski to win the UFC featherweight title back at UFC 298 in February 2024. But while he already beat him once, the Georgian says he has no interest in fighting Volkanovski again.
Here’s why.
Ilia Topuria Explains Why He Won’t Rematch Alexander Volkanovski
Speaking to ABC, Topuria explained why he won’t fight Volkanovski for a second time.
“I have so much affection and respect for him that I couldn’t hit him. I like him too much. There are already things I don’t want to do. What for? It would be a very competitive fight, even though I beat him once. For me, he’s the best featherweight that has ever existed, the most dominant. I was the champion, and I’ve done things that nobody else has done, but I left the division. He’s done much more at that weight than I have. It’s been many years,” Topuria said (via Bloody Elbow).
Ilia Topuria Gunning for Paddy Pimblett
While a fight against Volkanovski is clearly off the table, a matchup against Paddy Pimblett is what Topuria wants right now, and it’s a fight that makes a whole ton of sense given where both men currently sit in the UFC lightweight division.
It seems like UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje will fight either Volkanovski or Arman Tsarukyan in his first title defense or retire if he wants to. That leaves Topuria and Pimblett open and available to fight each other, and it’s a fight that all MMA fans want, as it would put two of the best lightweights in the world against one another with a likely title shot at 155 lbs on the line.
We’ll have to wait and see what the UFC ends up doing with all of these top lightweights, but one thing is for sure, and that’s that Topuria has no interest in fighting Volkanovski again, as he respects him far too much and doesn’t want to step into the Octagon and hurt him again, even though he’s already done it once before.
Why Ilia Topuria Won’t Rematch Alexander Volkanovski