Ilia Topuria is confident about taking down featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski this weekend. UFC CEO Dana White, nonetheless, thinks this fight is different from the ones the undefeated fighter has faced in the past.
Topuria will be challenging Volkanovskki for his belt this weekend at UFC 298. However, despite the result being still days away, the young fighter is already boasting on social media his confidence in claiming the title. On his social media account, “El Matador” even branded himself as a UFC world champ, which attracted Volkanovski’s attention. Ultimately, the Spanish fighter and his coach have been steadily expressing confidence in dethroning “The Great,” with Topuria promising a first-round KO win.
Topuria even has a plan to target Conor McGregor immediately after his success and set aside the top contenders of his division. Hearing about this, White didn’t directly contradict the fighter’s idea but noted that he still has a lot to prove, even though being undefeated in the sport.
“I don’t know about that,” White said regarding Topuria’s McGregor callout in an interview with Kevin Iole. “I think he’s got a lot to (prove). Listen, when you’re undefeated, you’ve never tasted defeat, and you’ve been on the rise that this guy is on, that’s the way you should be thinking, and that’s what your mentality should be. But we’ll see how it plays out on Saturday night.”
In his past interviews, Topuria has been consistent in his vision of defeating the champ. Having a clean record, the young fighter has the right to feel confident, but White believes this is the first real huge battleTopuria will face in his career. In the end, the executive thinks this will be one of the first things that will help Topuria prove his worth in the industry.
“When you look at the names, when you start talking about who he’s beat, what was at stake when he beat them, all those kind of things, that’s what Topuria doesn’t have yet,” White explained.
“So you can have all the stats you want, but he doesn’t have all that big-fight experience. This is going to be his first one. This is his first major name and first big fight. As much of a stud as the guy is, he’s got a lot to prove still.”
