We’re just a few weeks away from the second PPV of the year in the UFC. Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis set the standard at UFC 297. Featherweight contender Ilia Topuria will be aiming to replicate what Du Plessis did as the challenger at UFC 298 against Alexander Volkanovski. Topuria is beaming with confidence and seems to believe Volkanovski will not be much of a challenge to him at all. Former champion Daniel Cormier, however, brought up an interesting point about Topuria heading into his first title fight. In a recent video posted on his YouTube channel, Cormier addressed a number of topics.
Chief among them was Topuria’s confidence going up against Volkanovski. Topuria is almost dismissive of Volkanovski’s skills and achievements in the interviews he has given so far. Cormier pointed out a similar mistake he made against Jon Jones. He said,
“I remember being Ilia Topuria as a young undefeated fighter… but an undefeated fighter going up against one of the greatest champions of all time… I felt the same way, I felt there was no way Jones could compete with me. Why? Because all I had seen inside the octagon was dominance. I had not lost a round, I had not lost to anyone… I figured the same thing would happen when I went in there with Jon Jones and it didn’t. What happens to Ilia when Alexander Volkanovski comes on?”
Ilia Topuria is currently undefeated with a record of 14-0. Only two of Topuria’s 14 fights have gone the distance. As is the case with most contenders, Topuria is uber confident in himself. However, there is a possibility that recent results have distorted his perception of what Alexander Volkanovski actually brings to the table.
Alexander Volkanovski to shock Ilia Topuria UFC 298?
Prior to facing Islam Makhachev, Volkanovski was considered unbeatable. However, against an elite fighter in Islam Makhachev, ‘The Great’ fell short twice. The most recent one being a devastating knockout loss.
The losses have greatly tarnished his ‘unbeatable’ aura. However, it is interesting to note that Volkanovski remains undefeated at 145-pounds. Topuria’s confidence has probably gained a major boost seeing Volkanovski stopped in his last fight.
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While being confident is important for any challenger, Topuria is bordering on overconfidence, which might hurt him greatly in the fight. The main question to be answered in the fight will be how Volkanovski performs after his recent loss.
On the contrary, if ‘The Great’ performs as we are used to, it might be a long night for Topuria.
