Ilia Topuria responds to Alexander Volkanovski requesting a quick turnaround from him for their rematch:
“Right now he’s gonna have to wait for my time. Right now I’m the one who chooses the time and place.
AdvertisementI choose everything.”
@ufcontnt #UFC308pic.twitter.com/7gCt5WIG1b
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) October 27, 2024
Ilia Topuria wants a rematch with Alexander Volkanovski next, but the reigning featherweight champion plans on dictating the terms of their engagment.
Topuria dethroned Volkanovski via knockout at UFC 298 this past February. The undefeated champ then put his strap on the line for the first time against Max Holloway at UFC 308 on Saturday at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Backing his words up with action, Topuria scored a third-round knockout win over Holloway, who had never been stopped by strikes before in his entire career.
Volkanovski, who was in attendance for the event, subsequently entered the Octagon to call for a rematch against Topuria. While Diego Lopes’ name was also pitched to Topuria as a potential opponent, “El Matador” expressed interest in running it back with Volkanovski.
An ideal card for that potential matchup would the UFC’s debut in Spain, which could take place sometime in 2025. While Volkanovski admits that the Georgian-Spaniard champ has earned the right to fight in his backyard, he doesn’t want to wait too long for the rematch.
“I love Sydney and I want to fight in Sydney, but Madrid sounds good, too,” Volkanovski told reporters after UFC 308. “As long as I’m not waiting too long, that’s the big problem for me. I’d love for [Topuria] to have his moment in Spain, and we’ll fight there and that. Hopefully we’re not waiting years. That’s the only problem. If they can get that done as soon as possible, you know what I mean, he deserves it.”
Meanwhile, Topuria reiterated that he considers “The Great” the next rightful title contender. However, the champ wants to call every shot regarding that bout.
“Right now, he’s gonna have to wait til my time,” Topuria told reporters. “Right now I’m the one who chooses the time, the place — I choose everything. Right now I’m the champion, he’s the challenger… I respect him, too. He deserves the shot. No one else deserves the shot more in the featherweight division than Volk.”
