Ilia Topuria is confident that he can take down Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298. After this, he would be the target of his division’s numerous powerful fighters. However, for the undefeated mixed martial artist, Conor McGregor is the only person he would like to meet next.
Topuria is now gearing up for his fight against the featherweight champ on February 17. For Topuria, a first-round KO win is certain as “The Great” is now past his prime.
“You are talking to the best fighter in the world,” Topuria told The MMA Hour. “I’m the best. He is one of the best. You have to give him his credit. He was a great champion; he was pound-for-pound No. 1. He was one of the greatest, without any doubt. One of the greats in the featherweight division, and he will always be remembered like that, like one of the greatest in this division. And I’m happy to be the man who is going to give him the bad news on Feb. 17: He’s old. It’s time to move on. It’s time for the new generation. He’s old. He already lost. He has all the signals that he has to retire. He had his moments in this sport, and now it’s time to move on. It’s time for the new blood, and I represent the new generation. I represent the evolution of mixed martial arts.”
With this win, the 27-year-old might next face a handful of talented featherweight talents, including Max Holloway, Yair Rodriguez, and more. However, after beating the champ, he believes having the fighters Volkanovski already defeated makes no sense.
“How? I’m going to beat the guy who whooped his ass three times?” Topuria said something about Holloway. “How? It doesn’t make any sense. Max, Yair, Brian Ortega, all of them, they can go and retire. I’m never going to give them the chance to fight for the title.
“I don’t know, to be honest,” Topuria continued when asked who he would defend against. “The UFC knows that even better than me and I don’t think they’re going to even offer Max or the names I told you. We’ll see…”
So, who would “El Matador” fight next? For him, it should be McGregor.
“The way I’m going to beat him, they aren’t even going to ask me about a rematch,” Topuria said. “Conor McGregor, that’s the fight I’m looking for. He has a great fight with Mike Chandler. If he doesn’t get his ass whooped, he will be a pleasure to share the octagon with me. Maybe in UFC Spain. We’re both from Europe, and he will be able to go back home and tell his wife, ‘Baby, take out the red panties. Topuria kept us rich.’”
