Topuria put King to sleep at a UFC press conference, took his title and wants to send him into retirement. “Old man” Volkanovski reacted

Here we go. The big UFC 298 gala is around the corner, the tension is building. Alexander Volkanovski will defend his belt in a division he’s never lost in and in which he’s become the greatest fighter in history. His opponent will be the undefeated brash Ilia Topuria. Both fighters were not bored at the press conference. One as an old man, the other as a wannabe Conor McGregor. What happened?

The predatory youth? At 27 years old, Ilia Topuria is on a great path to becoming a champion and one of the icons of the UFC, but there are a few catches. The first is that sometimes he pushes the envelope a little too hard. He’s a great fighter, but to live up to his words, he needs to beat the best fighter in featherweight history.

Alexander Volkanovski has not only never lost in the division, but he has also shown incredible dominance. He may be 35 years old, but even though he’s been pigeonholed as an old man in response to his age, he’s definitely not old iron.

It’s worth noting, then, that Topuria has many similarities to Conor McGregor ahead of the main event of the UFC 298 gala. At times, it may seem like he’s copying him. In many ways, this claim will not be a fabrication.

When 2015 was written, McGregor was fighting Jose Aldo, a legend and dominant champion, for the title. He, too, was 27 years old. Like McGregor now, Topuria took the champion’s belt at a press conference.

But the Irishman managed to beat Aldo in 13 seconds and shocked the world. Can Topuria do the same? That’s the question. But champion Alexander Volkanovski has a very clear answer, at least for now.

Alexander Volkanovski greased the cheeky challenger’s bread

At the pre-tournament press conference, Ilia Topuria did everything possible and impossible to get under the skin of the reigning featherweight king. But did he succeed? No. Alexander Volkanovski has taken on the role of the old man fantastically and is enjoying it properly.

Even his arrival, when he stepped off the bus like a pensioner, clearly indicated that we would not be bored. This was confirmed. The confident challenger even put him to sleep with his talk. So much so that he had to wake up Paulo Costa, who took on the role played by the Australian.

The champion had some great moments. Trashtalk, who was trying to get Ilio Topuria going, turned on him. “See how you’re dressed? You already know how this is going to turn out. You’re ready for retirement. Look, you look like an old man,” the challenger let himself be heard at the press conference, as if he didn’t know that was just part of the game.

Desperate to get under the belt holder’s skin, the 27-year-old brash man stole the title off the table. “Get up and do something. Beat me. I’m standing in front of you. Do something,” he yelled at his opponent.

What did Alexander Volkanovski say? Again, he was above it: “You’ll never see that belt again. Not until I teach you a lesson. Maybe one day you’ll be a great champion, but first I’ll kick your p****. When you learn from this, maybe you can bounce back to the top. Until then, get your hands off my belt.”

Besides, the champion referred to Topuria as a Conor McGregor wannabe. “I think this old man needs to teach this young brat some manners,” he added.

Afterwards, there was an intense staredown. During it, the challenger admitted he was just following his dream and wanted to win the title. He respects the champion as an athlete. And so he should. Alexander Volkanovski is one win away from the record for most defenses in his division. This will be his sixth. Six of which were successfully completed by the aforementioned Aldo.

Source: UFC, MMA Fighting, MMA History Today