Alexander Volkanovski is determined to “humble” title challenger Ilia Topuria, who is now presenting himself as a UFC champion on his social media account.
Next weekend, Volkanovski will be defending his belt against Topuria at UFC 298. Many are expressing concern over the champ’s fight, with some considering it as a quick turnaround for “The Great” after his loss to Islam Makhachev last October at UFC 294. Nonetheless, the Australian wants to silence doubters and prove that he’s still in his prime. Most of all, for the champ, it will be a humbling moment for the young challenger.
In the past few weeks, the 27-year-old made repeated comments about Volkanovski, whom he described as “old.” Topuria even went on to suggest that “it’s time to retire” for Volkanovski, adding he would end the fight with a first-round KO. This, nonetheless, is the least of all the acts the Spanish fighter has been doing to get some responses from Volkanovksi. On his Instagram bio, Topuria is now presenting himself as a champ ahead of the biggest fight in his career.
For Volkanovski, it is one of the motivating details that pushes him to take this fight despite the doubters surrounding him.
“This is going to be a lesson,” Volkanovski said in an interview on Israel Adesanya’s YouTube page. “I’m gonna go out there, teach him a lesson, it’s going to be a humbling experience, his time’s not now. This is tough love, this is out of respect and tough love.”
By making a win, the champ believes he will be able to force the young fighter into humility and, most of all, educate people doubting his decisions as an MMA professional.
“I want this to be a humbling experience, not only for him, for a lot of people,” Volkanovski said. “There’s a lot of people trying to tell me how to live my life, I should be coming back in so soon, and they’re probably only doing it because they care. But that’s- you know, it’s like don’t- look, I’ve been, you know, running my life, and it’s been going well. You see me on 11 days’ notice, something happens, and then you’re going to try to tell me how to live my life? You know so I need to remind people, there’s a- you know, I need to humble this guy, so I see that excites me that I know he has to change that [his Instagram bio].”
