Alexander Volkanovski showed once again why he is one of the best in the business as he completely dominated Yair Rodriguez and defeated him via KO/TKO in the third round of the UFC 290 main event. The Aussie featherweight unified the titles and became the undisputed champion in front of a packed T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Speaking about this main event title fight, Volkanovski stayed patient and picked his moments to land takedowns and control the Mexican interim champion on the ground. In the final minute of the third round, The Great stunned Yair with a right hook and followed it up with a barrage of strikes on the ground, and subsequently, the referee decided to stop the fight.
Alexander Volkanovski and Ilia Topuria’s heated exchange at UFC 290
Alexander Volkanovski confirmed in his UFC 290 post-fight interview with Joe Rogan that he will fight once again before the end of 2023. He also expressed his wish of fighting Islam Makhachev in a rematch. But with the lightweight champion probably defending his belt against Charles Oliveira next, he shifted his focus to another opponent and that is none other than Ilia Topuria.
Still has his eyes on the lightweight title š@AlexVolkanovski with no shortage of opponents after #UFC290 pic.twitter.com/BLiaXwgrRu
— UFC (@ufc) July 9, 2023
He called out the Georgian featherweight for a fight and said, “Ilia has been running his mouth if he wants to keep going. I can show him what’s up and squash him too!”
After walking outside the octagon, Alexander Volkanovski urged Ilia Topuria to step up for a faceoff. The Georgian featherweight obliged and the two fighters engaged in a heated staredown. During this faceoff, both Volkanovski and Topuria exchanged words as The Great asked the Georgian whether he is ready for a fight.
Volkanovski exchanges words with Ilia Topuria after our #UFC290 main event! š pic.twitter.com/JNmoRJlm8c
— UFC (@ufc) July 9, 2023
Topuria replied saying “I am born ready, born ready.” He also mocked Volkanovski during this verbal exchange and made fun of his height, “You look too short boy.” The featherweight champion finished the conversation by stating, “You might be undefeated but I’m coming for that zero.”
Is Ilia Topuria next in line to fight Alexander Volkanovski for UFC Gold?
Alexander Volkanovski has pretty much wiped out the featherweight division and there aren’t many contenders who can pose a threat to him. After his win over Yair Rodriguez, Ilia Topuria and Arnold Allen are the only two fighters in the top five who he has not squared off against.
With Max Holloway defeating Arnold Allen in his last fight and Volk having a 3-0 record against The Blessed, the only fight that seems to make sense for the champion is Ilia Topuria. Not only is he #5 in the division but he has an undefeated record in MMA. Moreover, he has dominated all his opponents and has won four of his six fights via finishes.
Apart from this matchup, there aren’t many exciting opponents for Volkanovski. Topuria looks like the only one in the division who is well-rounded enough and has the ground game to pose a threat for Volk. For now, this matchup is not confirmed as Volkanovski also wants to rematch Islam Makhachev after he recovers from his arm surgery.
