Joe Lopez suggests Ilia Topuria simply capitalized on his puncher’s chance at UFC 298.
Alexander Volkanovski (26-4 MMA, 13-3 UFC) lost his featherweight title to Topuria (15-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) by second-round knockout in Saturday’s UFC 298 main event.
All three judges scored Round 1 in favor of Volkanovski, and his head coach believes he was starting to take control before he got caught.
“Alex was going through the game plan, was finding his range and starting to touch him up,” Lopez told the Daily Mail. “(I) was disappointed (by the result), knowing that Alex has a much better skillset.”
Lopez said they were aware of the power Topuria packs but appeared to insinuate that’s all they had to worry about. Four of Topuria’s past six wins have come by knockout.
“We knew coming into this fight he had a puncher’s chance – and he got that punch,” Lopez said.
Former five-time defending champion Volkanovski called for an immediate rematch with Topuria, who called out Conor McGregor in his post-fight speech. Topuria has been dismissive of most top contenders – including running things back with Volkanovski, but said he’d be open to a rematch if the UFC offered it.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 298.
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ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 16: (L-R) Opponents Alexander Volkanovski of Australia and Ilia Topuria of Germany…
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 16: (L-R) Opponents Alexander Volkanovski of Australia and Ilia Topuria of Germany face off during the UFC 298 ceremonial weigh-in at Honda Center on February 16, 2024 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
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Ilia Topuria def. Alexander Volkanovski, UFC 298 Scorecard
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