Alexander Volkanovsky before fight in UFC 314. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram/UFC India
The last lightweight belt dispute (up to 70,3 kg) still reverberates. Ilia Topuria became the 'king' of the category after beating Charles of the Bronx by knockout in the first round of the main fight of UFC 317, on the 28th. For the Spanish heir to the featherweight throne (up to 65,7 kg), Alexander Volkanovsky, Charles made mistakes in his strategies.
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“I thought Charles probably had other ways to win. He probably should have avoided the collision, right? And he just didn’t. He just decided to go for it, and that’s why he went down in the first round,” Volkanovski said in an interview with 'Flagrant Podcast'.
The Australian has already measured forces with Ilia Topuria. The occasion was emblematic. The fight was for the featherweight belt and Ilia was the challenger. Volka was knocked out in the second round of the main fight of the UFC 298, in February last year. Alexander had the belt buckled back after the Georgian-Spanish player vacated the throne and Volkanovski won Diego lopes in the main fight of UFC 314, in April this year.
Ilia Topuria predicted how Charles do Bronx would beat him at UFC 317
If the way how Ilia Topuria derrotou Charles of the Bronx is already an impressive feat in itself, the fact that the Spaniard predicted exactly how everything would happen makes the achievement even more legendary. In an interview with 'UFC News', before the fight, the champion highlighted the Brazilian's aggressive style as a clear advantage for his game, pointing out that this factor would make the fight less exhausting and more favorable to his style.
“I think it will be a fight that will be more about striking from the first few seconds. He will feel the speed and power, and then he will start looking for takedowns and ground games. But I believe it will be very, very quick, because I will finish him in the first two or three minutes. As I said, I won’t need to close the distance. We will meet from the first second. And when that happens, I am too much for my opponents. I am too good for them,” concluded the Spaniard.
Topuria is going through an impressive phase in the UFC
Ilia Topuria knocked out Charles of the Bronx in the first round. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram.
At just 28 years old, El Matador is enjoying one of the best winning streaks in the organization's history. He knocked out Alexander Volkanovsky, Max Holloway e Charles of the Bronx subsequently, in addition to capturing the featherweight (up to 65,7 kg.) and lightweight (up to 70,3 kg.) titles in the process. To crown his good moment, the Georgian/Spanish was elevated to the first position in the UFC pound-for-pound rankings, beating Islam makhachev.
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