Former featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski has claimed the next fight against newly-crowned champion Ilia Topuria, despite Sean O’Malley’s callout for a fight against Topuria after his recent victory.
So, Alexander Volkanovski’s got his sights set on Ilia Topuria. Yep, you heard it right.
Saturday was a big day. Sean O’Malley defended his bantamweight title, and he did it with style. He beat Marlon Vera at UFC 299, and it wasn’t even close. After his win, O’Malley was quick to call out Ilia Topuria, the new featherweight champ. He even told UFC CEO Dana White to “get me a jet to Spain.” But, Volkanovski, the former featherweight champ, wasn’t exactly thrilled with this idea.
“He called out Ilia,” Volkanovski said, and he said it on his YouTube channel. “Look, unless you’re fighting Ilia anytime soon, if you can do a turnaround anytime soon, I guess you can have it because I’m having a little rest. But I’m fighting him later in the year, or whenever that is. I know I’m fighting for the title next. So if you are going to try and squeeze that in, it better be soon, because I’m next.
He added, “So there you go. There’s your little window if you want it, Sean. Congratulations on your victory, mate. Impressive.”
Volkanovski, he’s a big deal. He’s the second-longest reigning featherweight champion in UFC history. But he recently lost the title to Topuria. It was a brutal knockout in their fight at UFC 298. After the loss — Volkanovski’s second knockout loss in a row — “The Great” said he would take some time off to let his body recover, but intended to fight Topuria later in the year.
And Topuria? He seems to be on board with this plan. He shut down O’Malley’s callout on Saturday, telling the bantamweight champion that first he needed to fight No. 1 contender Merab Dvalishvili. So, there you have it.