Alexander Volkanovski didn’t hold back in giving credit to Ilia Topuria, the new UFC featherweight champion, but he’s eager for another shot at the title.
Speaking after his knockout loss to Topuria in the UFC 298 main event at the Honda Center, Volkanovski remained upbeat as he addressed reporters backstage.
UFC Alexander Volkanovski Wants Ilia Topuria Rematch
“He caught me,” Volkanovski admitted. “That’s that. I felt good in there. I felt like I saw everything early, but he ended up catching me. I was pretty comfortable in the first round. Then we started to do more. I was just about to do more and he caught me. That’s just the game. I’m pretty confident we were probably even up through then, but that’s just the game.”
Volkanovski acknowledged Topuria’s skill, stating, “You can’t take anything away from Topuria. If he puts a hand on you like that, you’re going to go down. I don’t care. That’s just that. That was a clean right hand. I think no matter who you are, if you let one of those land on your chin while you’re caught there, you’re probably going down. … I won’t take nothing away from him. I won’t sit there and say, ‘It was this. It was that.’ I felt great. Camp was great. I felt good in there.”
Company Man
While Volkanovski refrained from diving into a detailed analysis of what he’d do differently in a potential rematch, he made it clear that he’s hungry for the opportunity.
“Obviously, I’ve been a champ for a long time,” Volkanovski asserted. “I want that rematch. That’s something that needs to happen. I’ve been reigning champ for how long? I’ve been a company man. I’ve backed up on short notice and fought Max (Holloway) three times. You name it, I’ve done it. I’ve been champ for a long time, so I think I deserve that. It’s going to be different next time.”
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Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
