JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Ilia Topuria is confident he’s next and is willing to wait out until the dust settles on a UFC division that currently has two titleholders.
Following his UFC on ABC 5 main event win, Topuria (14-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) called next at a post-fight news conference, in which made his case as to why he should fight the winner of the July 8 title fight between champion Alexander Volkanovski and interim champion Yair Rodriguez at UFC 290.
“I showed it tonight that no one can match my level of skill inside the cage,” Topuria told MMA Junkie and other reporters. “I think everyone is in (agreement) with me. I know that I can finish anyone in this division. Just it was tough tonight. But I beat him pretty easy. It’s not going to be different with Alex. The recipe is going to be the same. I’m going to knock him out in the first round, second round. If not, I’m going to dominate him for five rounds, no problem.”
Volkanovski (25-2 MMA, 12-1 UFC) has defeated many of the UFC featherweight division’s finest, namely Max Holloway, Chan Sung Jung, and Brian Ortega. With his one-sided unanimous decision win over Josh Emmett (18-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC) at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena, Topuria presents a new challenge for the champion.
While he has no intentions of doing anything else next besides fight for a title, Topuria admits there is one condition that could change his mind.
“I’m the next guy in the line,” Topuria said. “I can wait. One of the best skills that I have is the patience. If they offer me to fight with Max Holloway in Spain, let’s do it. If not, I’m going to wait for my title fight. That’s all.”
Holloway (24-7 MMA, 20-7) is scheduled to headline a UFC Fight Night event Aug. 26 in Singapore against “The Korean Zombie” Jung. His only losses since 2014 have come against Volkanovski (three times) and Poirier (once, at lightweight).
Regardless of what’s next, Topuria knows where he’ll be July 8. He wants to get a closer look at what might be next.
“I will be there, watching my next preys,” Topuria said. “… (The winner’s) war is going to end soon and mine is going to start.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ABC 5.
