Alexander Volkanovski makes his return to the Octagon at UFC 298. Reeling from a loss, the 26-3 striker puts his two-division glory aspirations to rest awhile. The featherweight next defends his gold against Ilia Topuria. Topuria, as such, is ready for the challenge. The fighter recently released a self-asserting cinematic teaser to announce the fight held in Los Angeles.

Volkanovski last lost to undefeated lightweight king Islam Makhachev, at UFC 294. The Georgian BJJ practitioner, on the other hand, is riding high on 14-0. As “The Great” takes on another undefeated opponent, Topuria isn’t too set on his chances. Taking to X, he said –

If you think someone can imitate me, that means that your last fight has left you with lasting effects! I will knock you out in the first round. You're old, it's time to retire. It is time to move on and make way for the new era of Topuria.

This comes in light of Volkanovski’s latest interview with UFC.com. The fighter nudged in on being hungrier than the competition, coming off a brutal knockout loss. Volkanovski overtly challenged the opponent to rectify the zero in his ’14-0′ record. Topuria hasn’t taken kindly to this challenge from the king of the division.

Boasting undefeated statistics, Topuria often proclaims himself the best in the world. Conversely, this is not the first criticism he has hurled at the competition. Speaking to Marca.com, the fighter had said that Volkanovski would not be ready for what was coming. Confidently, Topuria has instead also extended an invite to Conor McGregor, for a featherweight showdown.

Alexander Volkanovski looks to make mark with domination of title challenger Ilia Topuria

On 10 days notice, Alexander Volkanovski stepped up to face Islam Makhachev at UFC 294. Looking to become a two-division champion, he was extremely confident and jumped the gun. However, he lost via first-round knockout.

Now content with his featherweight belt, he admittedly wants to veer back to his roots. Thus, he promises to put on a show at UFC 298 and defend his title against Ilia Topuria, with extreme vigor and maximum effort.

‘The Great’ believes he is set to hand Topuria his first professional loss. In a recent sitdown with UFC.com, he hinted at the same. Consequently, this isn’t the first time he has said that about the opponent’s ’14-0′ record. He had said the same in a recent segment with MMA Hour’s Ariel Helwani.

Topuria, on an unbeaten streak, last bagged a unanimous decision win against Josh Emmet, in their June UFC Fight Night affair. Coming off a lopsided decision, Emmet has leaned towards the featherweight champion‘s victory. Only time will tell if that prediction will be true at the UFC 298 headliner on Feb. 17 at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

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