Alexander Volkanovski, the former UFC featherweight champion, recently shared his thoughts on a potential fight with Conor McGregor, and it seems he’s more excited about that matchup than a title rematch with Ilia Topuria.
With McGregor searching for his next opponent after Michael Chandler opted to move on, Volkanovski didn’t hesitate when asked which fight excites him more.
The former featherweight champion joined ‘Submission Radio’ for an interview recently where he shared his thoughts on several topics. During their conversation, the host asked Volkanovski if he would pick a Conor McGregor fight over a rematch with Topuria.
Spoiler alert: Volkanovski wants the MONEY! Reacting to the question, the Aussie said,
“Man so that is a tricky one. Obviously I want that match back with Ilia right? I don’t know what is exactly happening. If Ilia wins, I don’t even know where he would want to fight. I think they might be talking about Sydney or something. I’ll say Conor McGregor right now because I could still do Ilia straight after that.”
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As things stand, Topuria is set to take on Holloway in his first title defense at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi and the champion is overwhelmingly confident in his ability to get the job done.
Volkanovski knows a little bit about that since his title reign faced an abrupt end after being stopped viciously by the Spanish champion.
However, unlike Volk, Topuria has no interest in a potential fight with the biggest name in the sport, Conor McGregor.
Topuria doesn’t care about the ‘Mystic Mac’
‘El Matador’ has made it clear he’s not interested in a superfight with McGregor, even if the UFC offered it. The Spanish-Georgian featherweight champ, who’s set to defend his title against Holloway at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi, says he has bigger fights ahead.
In a chat with YouTuber Ibai, Topuria explained that while McGregor was once an idol of his, he’s not the same fighter he used to be. “He’s lost it because he betrayed the values that got him to the top,” Topuria said.
He even hinted that McGregor respects him but would never admit it publicly. With a huge fanbase and a championship on the line, Topuria is laser-focused on his own legacy, not chasing past stars.
That’s a fair argument. McGregor’s prime is far behind him. Topuria, on the other hand, is a newer generation of fighter- simply more skillful, more disciplined, and more dangerous and he’s not that worried about a payday. So it makes no sense for him to go hunting for the Irishman when he already has UFC gold mounted on his walls.
