“I’m having a little rest,” Alexander Volkanovski gives Sean O’Malley time constraint for ambitious Ilia Topuria call out

Former UFC champion, Alexander Volkanovski is okay with Sean O'Malley calling out Ilia Topuria for a title fight while he takes some rest.

“I’m having a little rest,” Alexander Volkanovski gives Sean O’Malley time constraint for ambitious Ilia Topuria call out

Alexander Volkanovski on Sean O'Malley calling out Ilia Topuria (Image via Imago)

Alexander Volkanovski is taking his time to recover after two consecutive knockout losses. Volkanovski is a former UFC featherweight champion who lost his title at UFC 298 against Ilia Topuria. He reacted to Sean O’Malley calling out Topuria for a title fight after his win against Marlon Vera at UFC 299. Here is what happened:

Sean O’Malley had called out Ilia Topuria at UFC 299 during the octagon interview. Alexander Volkanovski responded to Sean O’Malley’s callout of Ilia Topuria on his YouTube channel. He said: 

Look, unless you’re fighting Ilia anytime soon, if you can do a turnaround anytime soon, I guess you can have it because I’m having a little rest. But I’m fighting him later in the year, or whenever that is. I know I’m fighting for the title next. So if you are going to try and squeeze that in, it better be soon, because I’m next.
Alexander Volkanovski via his YouTube channel
YouTube video

O’Malley said that he wanted to fight the featherweight champion in Spain. Ilia Topuria did respond to Sean O’Malley’s callout. Topuria downplayed the challenge and suggested that O’Malley should fight Merab Dvalishvili first.

Volkanovski, after losing to Topuria revealed that he has decided to take some rest. However, the Aussie did say that he wanted to fight Topuria again later this year. Meanwhile, Volkanovski wants to spend time with his family and friends. Volk was knocked out by Topuria in the second round of their fight. Before that, he had moved up a weight class to fight Islam Makhachev. This was their second encounter. However, Makhachev brutally knocked him out in the first round itself.

Ilia Topuria’s coach advises Alexander Volkanovski against a rematch

Ilia Topuria’s coach has advised Alexander Volkanovski to take a tuneup fight instead of an immediate rematch against Topuria. Jorge Climent believes that the former champ should focus on regaining his confidence and form before challenging for the title right away.

An snippet from UFC 298: Alexander Volkanovski vs. Ilia Topuria
A snippet from UFC 298: Alexander Volkanovski vs. Ilia Topuria (via ABC)

He highlighted that Volkanovski is coming off two losses against two significant competitors. Climent pointed out that Volkanovski needs more time to recover from those hard losses. After their previous fight at UFC 298, a tune-up fight would provide Volkanovski with time to recover from any injuries that he sustained.

It would ensure that he is in prime condition for a rematch against Topuria. A tune-up fight would also allow Volkanovski’s team to assess his current skills and make necessary adjustments before facing Topuria again.

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