The king is dead, long live the king! Topuria the new UFC featherweight ruler. Watch his crushing knockout that sent Volkanovski into dreamland

The UFC featherweight division has a new king! Ilia Topuria still holds his undefeated record as he knocked out longtime division ruler Alexander Volkanovski in the main event of UFC 298, the first loss for him in seven in the weight division.

He destroyed one opponent after another and went after his dream. He looked so confident during his journey that not even the best of the best could stop him. Now he is poised to dominate the division in a similar fashion to his opponent.

The UFC 298 gala in Anaheim offered a great card full of attractive fights. Of course, the biggest hype came from the main event, which was a battle for the UFC featherweight championship belt. The war of generations then lived up to all expectations.

On the one hand, one of the most successful fighters in history, who has ruled the featherweight division since 2019. During his nearly seven-year journey in the UFC, he has not been defeated in the division. He has only fallen in the transition to lightweight, where he twice fell short to Islam Makhachev.

On the other side of the rising generation. Ilia Topuria hasn’t known the bitterness of defeat so far, destroying one opponent after another in dominant fashion. After all, only two of his fourteen wins have gone to the judges’ scorecards.

Already at the press conference, things were simmering between the two main players. While the brash challenger was sending the champion into fighting retirement, Volkanovski took his words with humor and, dressed as an old man, entertained all present. However, the fight eventually gave the young Georgian the upper hand.

Topuria the new UFC featherweight king

Topuria focused on kicking the Australian champion’s legs from the start of the fight, using solid combinations to break down his great defense. However, Volkanovski did land more punches and earned himself a first round by all three judges.

But in the second round Topuria showed a performance worthy of a champion. He showed incredible patience and waited for his moment. After three and a half minutes, he delivered a long combination and sent the king of the division down with a back hook with surgical precision.

Further blows were more or less useless, as Volkanovski was already unconscious by then. Topuria thus increased his unbeaten streak to fifteen fights and it will be hard to find a challenger who can threaten him.

Source: UFC, X