At the main event of UFC 298, MMA fans witnessed the rise of a new champion after llia Topuria dethroned Alexander Volkanovski. Although the Kiwi started out competitive, Topuria connected with a barrage of punches in the second round, finishing the defending champion. Thus, ending Volkanovski’s championship reign, which lasted for a jaw-dropping 1522 days.
What makes this victory even more impressive is Topuria managed to achieve this feat in less than four years of his promotional debut. As expected, fans can’t help themselves from speculating about the next opponent for the ‘El Matador’. Something that shouldn’t be a problem considering how stacked the 145 lb division is. But it looks like the Spaniard would beg to differ.
No Featherweight Impresses llia Topuria
Following his impressive victory at UFC 298, Illia Topuria gave a glimpse of his future plans backstage at the event. According to the Spaniard, no fighter in UFC’s 145 lb division impresses him, and he isn’t excited to fight anybody. If the newly crowned champion is to be believed, the division ‘sucks’, and he would like to witness a few fights before making a decision for his first title defense.
This revelation was made by the former wrestler during his short interview with veteran MMA reporter Megan Olivi. For those unaware, Topuria had previously expressed his desire to face the former featherweight king, Conor McGregor. But given the slim chances of the said matchup, Olivi inquired about the next best thing that the newly crowned champion desires.
To this, Topuria said: “Right now, it’s nobody. The division really sucks, we need a new challenge, you know?” As for his future plans, the fighter further added, “We need a couple more fights in the division, so we’ll see what’s going to happen in the future, and hopefully, we’re going to have some clear challengers. But right now, there is nobody.”
Do you agree with llia Topuria comments? Let us know in the comments!
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
