“Please don’t fight,” Alexander Volkanovski implores Ilia Topuria not to fight Max Holloway after his spectacular UFC 290 victory

Featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski requests that Ilia Topuria fight him in a bout instead of fighting Max Holloway.

“Please don’t fight,” Alexander Volkanovski implores Ilia Topuria not to fight Max Holloway after his spectacular UFC 290 victory

Alexander Volkanovski , Max Holloway, Ilia Topuria (Image Courtesy- Forbes, MMA Fighting)

UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski proved to everyone that he is the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world. After his spectacular knockout win over interim champion Yair Rodriguez at UFC 290, the champ has set his sights on his next fight. Ilia Topuria, who is ranked #5 in the featherweight division, has called out Volkanovski multiple times in the past.

Topuria was present during Volkanovski’s fight against Yair Rodriguez and the two featherweights had a heated face-off in the stands after Volk’s fight. During an interview with MMA Hour, hosted by Ariel Helwani, Volk sent a message to Topuria. He said, “Im talking to you Ilia, please don’t fight Max. Let me be the guy to beat you up.”

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Max Holloway and Volk have fought it out in the octagon three times. They first fought each other at UFC 245 when Volkanovski defeated Holloway and started his dominant title reign. The second fight between the two was controversial, as many fans thought that “The Blessed Express” was robbed of a win. Their third fight at UFC 276 was the most definitive win for Volk, as he clearly won the fight.

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Volkanovski has one of the most impressive title reigns and a very successful UFC career. He has proven himself as one of the best fighters in the featherweight division by defeating fighters such as Jose Aldo, Chad Mendes, and Brian Ortega. His name will be etched in the history books as one of the greatest fighters in the UFC.

Related: “He is above Khabib,” Fans rally behind Alexander Volkanovski as GOAT following title defense against Yair Rodriguez at UFC 290

Alexander Volkanovski speaks on arm injury

Alexander Volkanovski
Alexander Volkanovski (Image Courtesy- Getty Images)

Volkanovski is known for his confidence and dominance over other fighters. The featherweight champ had an arm injury before going into his title defense against Rodriguez at UFC 290. He needed surgery on his elbow, as it had been chipped during training. However, he postponed the surgery because he didn’t want to cancel the bout.

After this display of bravery from the champ, UFC president Dana White has given the “green light” to the Australian to choose whichever fight he wants next. When asked about his injury, he reminded everyone about how he broke his hand while fighting Max Holloway around the same time last year.

Alexander Volkanovski will look to get a rematch with lightweight king Islam Makachev as soon as possible after their controversial bout at UFC 284. A fight with Ilia Topuria at featherweight also looks to be in the future for the champion after their post-fight interaction at UFC 290.

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