Alexander Volkanvoski has given a fascinating breakdown of Islam Makhachev vs Ilia Topuria.
In his esteemed career, ‘The Great’ has shown so much heart, overcoming many a hurdle to win a plethora of big fights.
The ‘lights started dimming’ when Brian Ortega put Volkanovski in a guillotine, yet the Australian somehow survived.
However, despite possessing bravery in abundance, it wasn’t enough to get him over the line against Makhachev and Topuria.
WOW: ‘Islam Makhachev will get crushed’… MMA legend gives take on the UFC champ vs Ilia Topuria
Alexander Volkanovski thinks Ilia Topuria could beat Islam Makhachev
Alexander Volkanovski knows Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria like the back of his hand, having shared the cage with both of them.
In his first attempt at the Russian, the featherweight icon came agonisingly close to claiming the lightweight title. Alas, in the rematch, he was finished with a brutal headkick.
Against ‘El Matador’ he didn’t even come close, with the Spanish-Georgian rendering him brutally unconscious with a thunderous combination.
Now, the 28-year-old has decided to move up a division, which has actually opened the door for Volkanovski to compete for the vacant title against Diego Lopes at UFC 313.
Regardless, taking his experiences with both his former opponents into account, while the former 145-pound King is more than aware of how great Makhachev is, he still thinks Topuria has a very good chance of putting the UFC pound-for-pound number one to sleep.
In an interview with Daniel Cormier, he explained: “It’s simple — Ilia is that dangerous. The only way I see Islam losing, is someone catching him. Same way with myself. But who’s got the best chance of doing that? Someone like Ilia. It’s definitely a fun fight.
“I think if it goes 25 minutes, it’s all Islam. But there’s a good chance Ilia can catch him because he’s obviously got that very tidy boxing.
“Them earlier rounds, I think his takedown defense might help him a bit… But them later rounds, what I thought he’d struggle with Max, but he was able to put him out before then, would be the same case with Islam.”
UFC lightweight insists size won’t matter when Ilia Topuria fights Islam Makhachev: ‘The boy’s a savage’
While Volkanovski fancies Topuria’s chances, he’s very aware that the power puncher is significantly smaller than his rival.
However, not everyone thinks size will come into the equation.
A UFC star has opened up about stories he’s heard of Topuria knocking out much bigger fighters in the gym.
