Alexander
Volkanovski is eager to remind the world of his greatness when
he defends the featherweight strap against Ilia
Topuria at
UFC 298.
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Volkanovski will look to return to the win column against Topuria
on Feb.17 after his second failed bid at earning double-champ
status against lightweight king Islam
Makhachev at UFC 294 in October. “The Great” stepped up on
short notice as a replacement for Charles
Oliveira and went on to suffer a brutal Round 1 head-kick
knockout loss.
Volkanovski was on a collision course with Topuria before stepping
up for the double-champ bid. In the meantime, the undefeated
Spanish standout opted to wait for his title shot. “El Matador”
even uploaded a theatrical
video implying he will maintain his undefeated record against
Volkanovski.
Volkanovski believes his last loss against Makhachev is being
perceived as a sign of weakness by some, and the Australian icon
wants to shut them up. “The Great” discussed that perceived
vulnerability in an an appearance on ”Who
The Fook Are These Guys” podcast.
“… Hey, one day I might be a little vulnerable,” Volkanovski said.
“You might see me there covering my face at that one point, but the
next week, I’m the baddest man on the planet. You remember that,
and some people need to be reminded. The beautiful thing is I get
to remind them not too far away.”
Volkanovski also believes Topuria is in for an embarrassing lesson
in humility when they trade leather in the main event at UFC 298.
The champ believes that might be good for the Spaniard in the long
run.
“This guy thinks he’s the man,” Volkanovski said. “It’s funny. For
me, I’ve always wanted to earn my stripes. Earn these positions,
put myself in there, and earn that respect. This guy’s just getting
things given to him and probably not even that much, but he thinks
he’s the man. The beautiful thing about it is I get to teach a kid
a lesson.
“Ready to go out there, I’m hoping to teach him a lesson, humble
him a little bit, and still let him wake up to himself and then he
can bounce back when my time’s done. He needs a bit of humbling —
26, perfect age. He needs the world to see. He maybe needs a bit of
embarrassment and snap things into gear and maybe he can one day be
a great champion. Right now, he wants to act like how he’s acting,
I’m just gonna teach him a lesson. I’m gonna embarrass him. He’s
young enough to bounce back in a positive way. I’ll play teacher
the next few months.”