Morning Report: Ilia Topuria eyes Max Holloway and Canelo Alvarez after Alexander Volkanovski title win

23/11/2023 14:00

Ilia Topuria has his future plans all mapped out.

UFC 298 will be the biggest night of Topuria's life. Spain's favorite fighting son has been on an absolute tear through the featherweight division, amassing a flawless 14-0 record. The stretch has been enough to earn "El Matador" a title shot against the reigning champion Alexander Volkanovski in the Feb. 17 main event.

In a rare case, Topuria challenges a champion who enters the fight after a loss. Not just any loss, however, but a first-round knockout of Volkanovski opposite lightweight champion Islam Makhachev from their UFC 294 rematch last month. While many throughout the community have speculated whether or not "The Great" is turning around too quickly to compete again, Topuria isn't worried or changing expectations around his foe.

"For me, what happened in his last fight doesn't change anything," Topuria said on the OverDogs Podcast. "I know the result will be the same, training is the same, the focus is the same. I'm going to train for the best in the world, and I'm pretty sure I'm going to get that win.

"He has really nothing to lose. He already lost. He already knows how that feels, I don't know how that feels, and I better never taste how that's going to feel."

Rumblings began surfacing shortly after Volkanovski's loss, stating that he might not be able to fight in the first quarter of the new year. The thought was then that Topuria would fight former champion Max Holloway in the interim.

Holloway has only lost to Volkanovski at 145 pounds since 2013, leaving many to consider him the division's second champion just without a crown.

"So, that's what I think is going to happen that I'm going to beat 'Volk' on February 17 and then I'm going to fight Max Holloway here in Spain," Topuria said. "That's my goal right now, and I think it's going to happen."

In the time since Topuria last picked up a career-defining win over Josh Emmett by unanimous decision in June, Francis Ngannou flipped the combat sports world upside down. The former UFC heavyweight champion made his pro boxing debut opposite all-time great Tyson Fury, battling to a split decision loss and doing far better than he had any right to.

Before Ngannou's success, top MMA fighters were already mentioning interest in competing at the upper echelon of boxing. With Ngannou doing it, and doing it well, however, newfound hope has opened for several others and Topuria is no different. Along with a future Holloway showdown, the Spaniard wants to test his might against Mexico's best.

"I would love to fight one day with [Saul] Canelo [Alvarez]," Topuria said. "I have so, so much respect for him. But I wanna fight with him one day. Once I win the belt and become a UFC world champion, I wanna go for him. Because I really think I have a chance with him. I've been following him forever. I believe I have the possibility to beat him."

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VIDEO STEW

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FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Jim Miller (36-17, 1 NC) vs. Gabriel Benitez (23-11);UFC Vegas 84, Jan. 13

Trevin Giles (16-5) vs. Carlos Prates (17-6); UFC Fight Night, Feb. 10

FINAL THOUGHTS

Happy holidays to those who celebrate! Happy Thursday to those who don't! If you're getting some extra time off to relax, enjoy it, friends. Thanks for reading!

EXIT POLL

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