Ilia Topuria Predicts He'd Knock Out Alexander Volkanovski in First Round | The MMA Hour
Ilia Topuria discusses his staredown with Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 290, Volkanovski’s performance, how he matches up against Volkanovski, if he will get a title shot next, if the UFC will host event in Spain, his rose celebration against Josh Emmett, how he got his nickname, and more.
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Volk has two losses in his career. A TKO in his fourth pro fight and a fight against Islam where he took the best lightweight in the world to the scorecard and narrowly lost. The TKO happened at welterweight. Since being in featherweight, Volk has been extremely durable and has an insane fight IQ. Ilia couldn’t finish Josh Emmitt in 5 rounds (who is a very tough fighter). But how does he expect to take out Volk in less than a round? That’s pretty nuts and it’s clear he’s just trying to talk his way into a championship fight before Volk fights Islam imo
Yeah, and Jose Aldo had been undefeated for 10 years and many considered him the p4p best right next to Jon Jones, and when Conor came in saying he will finish Aldo in 1 round everyone called him a clown, and thought Aldo was gonna run through him, only for Conor to KO him in 13 seconds. I’m not saying that’s what Ilia is gonna do because I really don’t know, but this is the fight game and anything can happen.
@@robinmorales5365 Did you just not read when he said Ilia couldn't finish Emmitt in 5 rounds? Ilia is a great fighter, but comparing him to Conor? Conor was knocking out legit fighters first and second round on his way to Aldo.
@@robinmorales5365 Illia has incredible defense compared to some of volks recent opponents, he also has the timing and speed matched. not to mention bone crushing power and if it gets to the ground volk is going to have problems there with topuria. overall he has what it takes to dethrone volk.
@@robinmorales5365 Not saying Ilia wouldn't have a chance, but just that comparison is not a good one
Ilia is going to get murdered by Volk. This is the best indication that Volk has cleared out the division.
"Just do me a favor: Don't fight Max Holloway." --Volk
Max would destroy Ilia
@@ChasinRainbowsthat's why alex doesn't want any of the new contenders to fight max because other than volk max beats everyone else
Man needs new challenge, afraid Max would stop Ilia😅
@@jostafanboi he is worried there's gonna be another Arnold Allen situation 😂
Max actually beat volk in one of his fights but was robbed by the judges
Ilia is doing exactly what he needs to do to get a title shot, he's making it interesting, he's only 26, so no problem is he loses to the P4P best..... win win for him
People hating with out thinking 🤦
@@DavidMartinez-ve8hi exactamente homes
I hope he wins with all this trash talk. The last person that tried this at Featherweight was Giga and he took a bad beating and hasn’t fought in almost 2 years since then.
The bigger he builds himself up, the harder he will fall
@@ShreddinThrash Not sure man he looked really good against Emmett, much better than Yair did.
If he believes what he's saying about KO Volk in the first round I would have to question his fight IQ and ability to even compete with Volk
everybody can be KOed in the first. even Volk. if anybody can do it from 145 its Illia. will it happned? volk is probably too smart to get caught
will Wilder ever be low IQ fighter if he believes he knock out everybody? Absolutely NO. It’s believe in his abilities. It’s not about Volk. Unless Ilia’s abilities is questioned he has every right to believe that he will knock out everybody😂 Plus he’s strong MFer
@@mmacult5336 totally agree. anything could happen in an MMA fight but Volk is the less likely to get caught ..and that early in the fight ? idk
@@mmacult5336if anyone can do it at 145 it's Yair, didn't work out for him
@@paveLsTarK but he also jumps in for strikes and Illia is a good counter striker with actuall power. im just hyped for it
Ilia about to get humbled 😳
💯😂
He won’t last as long as Yair did. He’s a very basic fighter. Fights orthodox with his lead leg hanging. Volk will chop that leg down and destroy him in less than 3 rounds.
@@mrspiff6955I don’t think he’s a basic fighter, Ilia is good but yeah volk is on a different level.
Indeed 👍
@@vaellanshanmuru6405 He’s a very basic fighter. Notice that he hasn’t fought any elite fighters yet. He was set up against a battered 39 year old Emmett coming off a bad beating from Yair. Topuria has no head movement and has a slow, plodding style. Volk will chew him up and spit him out in 10 minutes.
This dude reminds me of Giga before Kattar almost ended him. Volk will teach him a valuable lesson in humility.
Casual
100%. apart from Merab these Georgians are the most delusional and arrogant fighters in the UFC
@@n.fland.5694 nah hes most likely just right. It doesnt even matter if this is a close fight. He said he would KO volk in the first. Most likely itll be a volk KO.
Exactly. And giga hasn’t fought since- 1.5 years + ago
@@n.fland.5694casual the big insult on the internet lol😂
Volk is hittable and Ilia hits hard, this is a winable fight for him. Definitely better chances than Yair
Yair hits harder than illia is quicker and throws from weirder angles and remind us how that went?
@@chris-mc4dg There's no way Yair punches harder than Ilia. Yair's punches look sloppy
@@MeatTenderizer23 he hits harder I didn't say punches his kicks are harder than anything illia throws and are quicker than anything ilia throws. Illia couldn't knock emmet out and he is a human heavy bag that just stood infront of him volk has some of the best footwork in the ufc and illia has terrible footwork if you can't see that you don't know what your watching yair would starch topuria, Holloway would beat him withing an inch of his life so what do you think volk will do to him.
@@MeatTenderizer23Volk has a really good understanding of range. He ain't Emmett.
@@chris-mc4dgwtf u talking about😂
This man understands marketing. Right onto media after volk win
Wow, that’s a wild take: Ilia said Jai Herbert was a harder fight than Volk, because high-ranked guys (like Volk) are predictable and easy to plan for, while lower ranked guys (like Herbert) are unpredictable and hard to plan for. Lower ranked guys aren’t unpredictable. They predictably make mistakes that high-ranked guys easily exploit. Herbert was hard for Ilia because he had an 8-inch reach advantage.
Yeah everyone said yair would be unpredictable for volk too and then volk smashed him 😂
@@n.fland.5694 Hahaha saw this coming from a mile. Before the fight everyone was talking about how Yair would be Volk's toughest matchup, especially those Islam stans, hoping that Volk would lose. Now all of the sudden Yair becomes trash according to the same people because Volk manhandled Yair. They will say Ilia is overrated once again when Volk beat him.
He’s trolling and doing good promo
@@n.fland.5694Ilia will not even get past Holloway, so fighting Volk would make no sense for his career. This is a Darren Till situation all over again. Volk is not Josh Emmett. Volk almost knocked Islam out, and if Islam didnt sit for an entire round on Volk's back, the decision would have gone the other way. Remember: Volk isnt normally fighting at lightweight, and almost beat the best fighter they have. That guy is crazy good 😂
@@user-cc5tx8dz2u yea most likely
Being respectful doesn’t sell fights it’s all a front
Don’t talk about the champ like that😉
14-0 He has NEVER LOST ,He is 26 years old. Really complete FIGHTER with KO POWER on his hands AND INSANE GRAPLING WTF ARE YOU EXPECTING HIM TO SAY???? HE HAS TO BE WITH THAT MENTALITY TO TRY TO BEAT VOLKA, whats the problem ?? bunch of haters everywhere😓😓
Yair had almost same background and also talk same big mouth BS that he will beat Volk easily. And? 3rd round KO. Done. No more big mouth talking. The same will happen to this big mouth here.
People don't understand you have to be delusional to win fights
He’s disrespectful and delusional. It’s the disrespect that people don’t like about him.
@@sonatine-on6isYair was respectful to Volk the whole build up to the fight. Wtf are you talking about?
@@ryangallagher3291 sorry so You don't know what UFC is all about...🤦🤦
Topuria calling Volk short while Volk just decimated Yair whose talker than Topuria lol
Lol
Humble this man Volk! He needs it and he’ll probably go a lot further in his career.
Well said man, volks a goat show some respect.
Volk needs challengers like this otherwise he won't have anyone to fight at featherweight. Ilia's mouth is good for the division and for Volk.
@@south6btI wouldn’t say he was good for volk😂
I don’t think ilia got humbled 😢😂🌹
The rose thing is pretty cool actually, need more of that in the game
Absolutely love supreme confidence in a young fighter!
He’s delusional.
@@himalayanhealthhut6656 Agreed. But you have to be if you’re going to fight Volk.
@@himalayanhealthhut6656 You're casual
Difference between cocky and confident, Iliad is cocky. Volk is easy money, vilk was not impressive. Cmon
@@18S12 bet you hated mcgregor
I like this guy's confidence.
can't see him beating Volk
Could you see Leon beating Usman? Could you see Conor beating Aldo? Could you see Pereira beating Izzy? STFU man and wait for the fight
Not now anyway.
Did you see it🫨
Fighting Josh Emmet and fighting Volk are two different things. Yair knows this very well.
Funny, everyone said the same thing about Volk before his 1st fight with Max. And we saw how those next 3 fights went. Ilia is as well rounded in skill as Volk was, prior to the Max fight. Has a high level wrestling/bjj background and is a tactical power striker. He routinely beats dudes at their own game. Poses a unique threat in that respect.
Fighters have beat yair using wrestling multiple before the volk fight. No one has beat ilia yet big difference..
Stylistically ilia matches up with volk the best in the division. Good td defence to set up his power punches but if it goes to the ground he does have bjj. The only way u can beat volk is by stopping him.
@@beez467 Ilia can be the winner of this fight, his skills look very legit. That fight with Emmet was a cracker, but Volk is too good to be finished in the very first round in my opinion.
His confidence is riding that fine line of delusion. But hey, only time will tell.
If he fights max first he might not even make it to Volk
Send max to Spain, ilia will humble him to😤
Volk will humble you pal
Vol got his head removed, crazy
Ilia has a good sense of humor. “I’m short but he’s even shorter than me, he got a problem man.”
Volks gonna humble him real quick the first seconds of the fight Ilias gonna know he doesn't belong in the cage with him
Volk was so good, he proved ilia didn’t belong in the cage with him, thus having ilia knock him out so he doesn’t have to share the octagon with ilia anymore😮 🐐
Wow he’s too high in his head
Man is saying he Deserves It when he doesn’t says he’s gonna smash volk bro he’s gonna get humbled so hard if he thinks these are all true
The rose drop is pretty smooth
people beat Josh Emmet and assume they can beat the next bald white man😂😂
bald goat volkanovski
2-0 ilia against bald guys🌹
Lololololol no one believed that BEFORE we saw him dismantle Yair. Now, it’s confirmed lol
Delusional, everyone was saying Rodriguez was gonna beat Volk and look what happened😂 Alex is gonna be a problem for anyone in that division
Yeah it makes me mad the judges robbed him against islam. Hope he can get the rematch, volk can run two divisions.
Who is everyone? Volk was a 4-1 favorite in the fight lol
@@sy12 everyone may be a bit of an exaggeration but I saw a bunch of comments leading up to this fight saying Volk was gonna lose. Glad he proved them wrong
thats called promotion doing its thing. they push the underdog and casual people bite. watch how the ilia hype plays out, it'll be even more one-sided but the media will make it out to be Volks hardest fight to date. Literally a cake walk, easiest opponent volk has had in 4 years
you go boy!!! im excited to see you fight...and so young!!
Out of all the fighters...Volk is the least scared of anyone. At the same time he's humble.
VOLK ain’t losing to this guy.
🥛
Banger fight, short kings throw down insane
😂 he's delusional if he truly thinks that
He’s got the power, but yeah volk is too defensively sound with great head movement to let that happen.
he's ILUSIONALif he truly thinks that...THATS ALL!! THE CONFIDENCE ON HIMSELF
@@nomasmedia2053 mate volk acc has more power than him.
@@ShreddinThrashvolk has average power
@markusmahadeo1374 no he doesnt. In the flyweight division he has good power. Common misconception because he didnt ko max holloway.
Funny, everyone thought Volk couldnt beat Max. One could argue Ilia is as well rounded in skill as Volk was, before that 1st Max-Volk fight. Has a high level greco-roman wrestling/bjj background and is a tactical power striker. He routinely beats dudes at their own game. Poses a unique threat to Volk in that respect.
not me he was the perfect counter to Max. Never a stationary target, constantlly intercepting with leg kicks. Sharp, precise boxing combinations.. extremly strong and never gets tired. ohh and his knowledge of distance and angles. Hes always been a force
Me personally I think Illia will give Volk's hardest fight so far, maybe on par with the 2nd Holloway fight, or even more difficult. Both guys are beasts, make no mistake about it, and I can't wait to see them confront each other in the octagon 🔥🔥
Love the confidence, volk mops the floor with his confidence tho. Volk wins by however he wants
Topuria looks like every Mexican cop who infiltrates the cartel in movies
It’s the military do
Volk es una leyenda,pero topuria viene con todo,habilidades de otro nivel,golpeó,agarre,suelo,físico,mental,viene con todo y a por todo
Bo had a similar take , the less film the harder it is to study your opponent. So I get what ilia means by his predictable take
Yeah but the thing is Volk fights differently in every fight as Volk himself is also a master of gameplanning according to his opponents' strengths and weaknesses. The only time Volk did not prepare well was his striking game against Islam, because he spent most of his time on takedown defense, the ability to get back on his feet and submission defense. You can see he couldn't really get into Islam's range without getting countered.
That's what all of volks opponents were thinking as well 🤣 casual
There is a big difference between knowing what the champ is going to do, and being able to stop the champ from doing what he wants.
@@ashleysmith91facts
there is enough film after the emmett fight
LMFAO.. Volk makes no mistakes.
The goat 🐐
Volk does make mistakes thats why he lost against Islam
@@RexxorDDGIslam arguably lost. He made way more mistakes than Volk but Islam won because he was more aggressive and controlling the pace of the fight.
Joe rogan said volk won that fight
@@RexxorDDG Just goes to show how good Islam if he's the only one able to exploit the very few mistakes Volk made.
Seems like a very good dude, wish him all the best
I'm from Spain and i just love to hear Topuria and Ariel saying they don't like bullfighting cause is mean and cruel. In my country is a damn nonsense, because only a few old fashioned guys still like it and somehow the whole thing is still running. They already banned it in Catalonia, Canary Islands and other regions and I hope soon gets banned in the rest of the country. Animal abuse is unforgivable.
Totally agree. Bull abuse needs to be left in the past.
Bulls aren't that big of a problem, at this point, banning it will harm a lot of people, anyone who works with animals will tell you that
Almost as bad as meat factories here in the US. At least the bulls can run there. But you are right. All bad stuff. Will be our downfall it appears.
Soft your ancestors would be ashamed. Wish I had that in my culture. Animals are abused to feed us or to be used at tools or workforce. Spare me the virtue signaling
I hope you are a vengan if you are saying that. I'm not for bull fighting but i think its very hypocritical to denounce bull fighting but eat chicken 3 times a week
Topuria is bad ass but hes a funny guy, hes in for the fight of his life with volkanovsky.
You’re in the fight of your life with spell check
Your spell check sucks bro
@@kevinbond3656doesn't change the fact that Illia's over his head with the Volk fight.
@@aaronrubalcava7810ilia took volks head
@@Undefeated0-0 Nice response. What are you, 5?
Bros gonna get humbled by Volk. 😂
Topuria is going to TKO Volk inside 2. Come at me.
The next champ
And new😂
I love ilia’s energy. He’s a dog and a great fighter. Don’t think he’s ready for Volk. But I love seeing him call his shot. He wants that shot and will try to prevent Volk from going to Islam. I love it and so does Volk
Give him Brian Ortega in Spain then he gets a title shot for sure
makes no sense
@@LakeNonaFan why? I think it would be one of Ilia’s dream come true.
@@alexDreplay spain is a dream come true for ilia, but not ortega
He couldn’t even finish Josh Emmett 😂. He getting mauled by Volk.
He couldn’t even finish Emmett hehuhehuhehu
I'm all for a fighter being confident to take on ther opponent but to say " its gona b a easy fight for me," is crazy, Volk is a champ 4 a reason, & topuria will get humiliated if Volk ko's him in rd1. 😮😮
business
Tbh the only way for could ko him is g&p if he was already rocked.
Plus he doesn’t have the fight yet so he has to say crazy 💩 to piss of volk.
I think Topuria could straight up be a boxer if he wanted to
100% got my money on him over any boxer😂
This Guys confidence is next level. I almost don’t even feel worthy of being in his presence.
😂
He keeps saying this, very interesting. If the fight happens we'll see.
Volk and Yair beat this guy lol
I wanna trust the guy is saying but its hard to believe he thinks that. Volk is Pound for Pound 1!
There's levels to this game...no truer words frame the future for the predictable outcome that will befall him
He'll be impressed soon enough. Like literally
This guy is gonna get SO humbled
we don't know, anything can happen, volk will be slowed down by time eventually, even greats like usman and izzy fall, the best part is they have to fight to figure it out
Naw... He gonna fight good, even if he lose
Well, I think he got humbled with a belt😂
@@Undefeated0-0 brother, it may not be this fight and it may not be the next but his hype train will derail at his first lose because of how he’s built himself, I can’t wait
@@Jay-kl3zb hype trains don’t get belts fool🤣that’s why we call them hype trains🤣
I think this will be a stand up fight if it happens. His grappling I think is just as good as volks
Topuria has better grappling and wrestling than Volk
@@markusmahadeo1374no he doesn't lol Volk's been wrestling greco roman since forever and he 's been with Craig Jones for a while.
What gets me with Volk he hasn't shown the world how he fights or his style. Volk has fought a style or game plan to beat his opponent and that's it. Fight iq is amazing
I admit if the fight is in Spain it will be huge
I hope Volk ends up KO him in the first round for ultimate satisfaction
Na the other way around fck volk!
He’s right about it being easier to game plan for a more established and conventional fighter, but the same is true for Volk’s ability to game plan for him. If it comes down to a fight of adaptions and planning I don’t see Volk doing anything other than smashing him. He’s just next level for fight IQ, planning, and execution.
Not Volk, his team comes prepared.
@@timluke8933 Volk is definitely the one spearheading the preparation. You can't teach a mule how to fight even if you are the best coach itw.
Topuria doesnt speak too highly of Volk or Yair, but Yair got rid of Emmett in 2 rounds, but Topuria couldn't finish him. He's gonna see that the top 3 guys in the division are on another level.
Coming in to this fight it'll be pretty interesting to see topuria in his prime against volk who arguably is out of his prime, will be one of the most anticipated fights of the year so excited to see who wins
He also was going to knock out Josh Emmett in the first round
It was a close fight though gpd bless u anyway
Dude , stop that bulshit narative. ilia beat emmet all 5 rounds. Emmet was beaten like a dog. And there are not many fighters who will take that punches. It would be better for emmet to loose with ko then that damage he took from that 5 round beating.
@@pedropicapiedra4851jajajaja
Well😂
Illia couldn’t KO Josh who had one foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel
He just took volks head off. He’s now 2-0 against bald people. Scary stuff
Let’s go Topuria! Show them how us Georgians are! 🇬🇪🇬🇪🇬🇪
You can learn higher ranked fighters better than the unknown ones because of availability of their footage, especially against top guys... Ilia will be studying Volk's fights for the Next few months... He has good chance to win... Come on Ilia 😎
Can't help but believe that hes gonna shock the world when he puts it all over Volkswagen
This is literally what people were saying about Yair.
Probably the best thing that could happen to him is losing to Volk, that will humble him and teach him not to underestimate anyone and he will be even better cause he is still young and the future of the Featherweight division
And new
This is the fight to make we need some one who will push the champ
AND NEW 🏆💥
Diesnt like yairs style?! Yair would kill you
Love the confidence, fighters need confidence, and as fans we never know how justified that confidence really is until they face the best..Volk and Topuria are very similar, except Volk has fought the best in the world and has been sharpening his skill set alot longer..I suspect that Volk will school Topuria, but Topuria might inflict the most damage that Volk has ever endured..And Topuria will taste gold after a few years..
Yeah he could taste gold just gotta wait for Volk to retire lol
I don't think it's confidence it's just he's a really low IQ/ dumb person
"I'm short, but he even shorter than me!" 😂
Ilia my bro, is gonna be amazing the day you take that belt from Volk while keeping your undefeated record.
I think it's gonna be a war. Ilia is like Volk in some sense, very well-rounded, no clear weakness. Also very powerful and durable. Skillwise they may be very even but I think Volk's cardio and strength will be too much for Ilia.
Volk is also much more composed and faster than Illia
ur right and i think that fight goes the distance
I think volk stops him to be honest ko tko for sure volk is too much his great
+ ilia has not as big experience as Volk and he need that a lot
You know nothing, he is nothing like volk
Thanks Ilia, I needed a laugh this morning
just with a mirror you have it..
Hope you’ll also laugh when he finishes Volk . People haven’t seen Ilias full skillset yet…
@@DavidMartinez-ve8hi 👏
@@DavidMartinez-ve8hilook at the triggered Spaniard your guys going to get man handled for 5 rounds.
This man is a DREAM CHASER
Man this guy is taking some really really really good drugs. 1st round KO prediction is incredibly BOLD. Could it happen? Yes of course, but Volk is not easy to put away. Good to be confident and sure of yourself. But I want what this guy is taking.
Volk has won his last 20 rounds in a row at featherweight.
ilia is delusional
Why is everyone saying this guy vs volk is competitive? the only top guy he’s fought is old man emmet and he couldn’t finish him in 5 rounds but he’ll finish Volk in 1? Right
Vamooos Ilia vamoooos 🇪🇸🥊🥋🏋🏻♂️🇪🇸Uuuuuussssssss
HE Said the same thing with emmet he couldn’t even tko him in 5😭🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣🤣🤣
he manhandled a dude thats too tough for his own good. what you on about
@@draakmanz and the referee could have stopped the fight a few times.
@@draakmanz yair finished him in 1 and volk finished yair in 3 and made him look like a flashy amateur lmao stop it volk is gonna whoop him
@@luism2411 yair subbed him in 1 and volk whipped yair in 3 stop there’s levels to this
@@KafirCrusader casual lmao
Ilia could never ko yair
levels
VOLK IS THE GOAT
Ur very high bruv
the fall is gonna hurt if are not giving respect not even to the P4P. Volk smokes anyone at this point.
I know yall love volk but please see this man technique hes amazing
The Hulk wouldn't ko Volk in 1 round
What about 1 1/2?😂
Bless this man from taking too many shots to the head! The delusion has kicked in. ilia is not the one to De-thrown Volk😂😂😂 he will get submitted or tko’d by round 3-4
When was the last tine Volk submitted anyone? Topuria runs laps on the matt on Volk
@@jfc5246 yeah you’re ignorant if you believe ilia is gonna be the one to beat volk. He’s gonna get killed 🤣🤣
@@BLouis3 Did I say Topuria was going to beat Volk?
@@BLouis3 read his comment again bro and bring arguments.
He literally says this about everyone
Good on him for his confidence, everyone does have a punchers chance for a shock win, and somebody will beat Volk at some point but this man is not even close to Alexander.
although i think that volk does win the fight between them, i think its gonna be alot closer than everyone thinks. ilia is definitely a major challenge the kid is super talented
Oh god fans are really like a broken record. Same said with yair when it was obvious it wouldn’t be
@@lukebfilms4232 i never thought the yair volk fight would be close lol. ilia has the cleaner striking and much better wrestling.
He wasn't impressed bc he made it look easy. Yair would be topuria ass 💯
Ilia would mop the floor with Yair lol
@@masterthesis4645 heeellllz nooooo.
Ariel the little 🪱🪱🪱🪱🪱🪱
Volk would wipe the floor with this guy.
The fake Drake of MMA