“Take pictures now you won’t have it after,” Alexander Volkanovski runs into Ilia Topuria using his belt for photoshoot before UFC 298

Alexander Volkanovski tells title contender Ilia Topuria to take as many pictures with his belt before their fight.

“Take pictures now you won’t have it after,” Alexander Volkanovski runs into Ilia Topuria using his belt for photoshoot before UFC 298

Alexander Volkanovski advocates Ilia Topuria to take as many photographs with his belt before their fight (via Imago)

Alexander Volkanovski and Ilia Topuria will fight this weekend. The featherweight king had an awkward encounter with rival Ilia Topuria. It occurred during UFC 298 media day this week. Topuria grabbed Volkanovski’s title belt for pictures without asking.

The video showed Topuria posing with the gold belt on his shoulder. Alexander Volkanovski then noticed and approached Topuria about the stunt. Volkanovski mockingly told him to take as many pictures as possible before the fight. He insinuated that he would not have the belt after the fight. This is what he said:

Yeah. Take pictures now because you won't have it after.
Alexander Volkanovski during UFC 298 media day
YouTube video

Topuria had lobbied hard recently to get this title shot at 145 pounds. He is currently unbeaten in the UFC and ranked inside the top ten. His last performance against Josh Emmett was nothing short of spectacular. Volkanovski is coming off a loss to P4P king Islam Makahachev. However, he still remains undefeated in the featherweight division. 

FS Video

Their brewing beef now has some extra seasoning after this tense face-off. Volkanovski has vowed to humble Topuria in their upcoming bout. On the other hand, Topuria is more confident than ever in his ability to grab UFC gold. Fight fans will witness the collision between an unstoppable force and an immovable object this weekend.

Alexander Volkanovski accuses Ilia Topuria of buying his followers

Alexander Volkanovski recently took aim at rival Ilia Topuria. He alleged that Topuria had bought followers on social media to inflate his popularity. Their simmering feud continues heating up before UFC 298.

Alexander Volkanovski insinuates Topuria has bought fake social media fans
Alexander Volkanovski insinuates Topuria has bought fake social media fans (via Marca. com)

Volkanovski contrasted his career path with Topuria’s in a recent interview. He said everything he’s gained was earned through hard work. This included his title, reputation, and two million Instagram fans. He then asserted that Topuria took shortcuts to success, insinuating that he artificially bought fake followers to boost his brand. It should be noted that no definitive proof exists of Topuria buying fake followers.

He also blasted Topuria for filming a documentary about winning the belt before even fighting for it. Volkanovski promised to teach the brash contender some much-needed humility in the process. Their back-and-forth illustrates rising tensions heading into Saturday’s showdown. Accusations are flying faster than fists currently. Only time will tell who walks out as champion.

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