“I Am Next”: Alexander Volkanovski Lays Condition for Sean O’Malley vs. Ilia Topuria Amidst Ambition for Rematch

Sean O’Malley topped a stacked card at UFC 299 with an impressive performance. ‘Sugar’ defended his belt for the first time against Marlon Vera in a rematch 3 years in the making. The 29-year-old was clinical from the very first minute of the fight and comfortably won the fight on all judges’ scorecards. Following the win, the bantamweight champion had one target in mind, Ilia Topuria. However, Alexander Volkanovski had something to add on O’Malley’s call out of Topuria.

Alexander Volkanovski took to YouTube to post a reaction video following the conclusion of UFC 299. In the video, he reacted to O’Malley’s call out of Topuria. He said,

“He called out Ilia. Look, unless you’re fighting Ilia anytime soon, if you can do a turnaround anytime soon, I guess you can have it. Because, again I am having a little rest but I am fighting him later in the year or whenever that is. So I know I am fighting for the title next. So if you are going to try and squeeze that in, it better be soon because I am next. There you go, there is your little window if you want it Sean.”

After his impressive win, O’Malley demanded a jet from Dana White to Spain to take on Topuria. The call-out received a reaction from Ilia Topuria as well. The featherweight champion however, was not too impressed by the call out.

He took to Twitter to congratulate O’Malley but reminded him that his fellow Georgian Merab Dvalishvili is waiting in line for a shot at the title. Dvalishvili is currently on a 10-fight win streak with wins over the likes of Henry Cejudo, Petr Yan, and Jose Aldo among others. However, looking at the present scheme of things, a rematch with ‘Volk’ looks likely for ‘El Matador’.

Alexander Volkanovski to take on Ilia Topuria later this year?

Ilia Topuria won the UFC featherweight belt in style, knocking out Alexander Volkanovski in the second round of their fight at UFC 298. Unfortunately for Volkanovski, that is two brutal knockouts in the space of four months. Therefore, as the champion himself stated, taking an extended period of time away from the sport right now, is the best thing he can do for his health.

 

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Topuria on the other hand, wants to take on Conor McGregor. However, it is safe to say that a fight between Topuria and McGregor is highly unlikely to happen. The main question to be answered here is that how long will Volkanovski be out for? Will Topuria wait that long considering he did not take any damage in the fight? Only time will tell what happens.