UFC featherweight Ilia Topuria is ready to fight the divisional champion Alexander Volkanovski anywhere and everywhere, even if the fight lands them in Australia.
I can beat Volkanovski in Australia, in Las Vegas, in Miami, in Spain: Ilia Topuria
Fresh off a unanimous decision win over Josh Emmett in the main event of UFC Jacksonville this Saturday night, the 9th ranked 145-pounder has established himself as one of the toughest contenders in the division.
“El Matador” insists that he is ready for a showdown with Mark Holloway to earn a shot at the title, but the Georgian wants the UFC to make the fight in his adopted home Spain. However, if the title shot requires Topuria to fly to the Land Down Under to face Volkanovski, he’s all up for it.
“No f****** problem,” Topuria told Ariel Helwani. “If I think I’m the best in the world, I can beat him in Australia, in Las Vegas, in Miami, in Spain, wherever we go, I beat him. Location is no problem.”
“Right now, I’m really focused on getting that championship belt,” the 26-year-old went on, “I want to get that title fight, which I know that I deserve. But if they come out with some offer to go to Spain and make a fight in Spain with Max Holloway maybe, because if they told me to go to Spain to fight someone unknown, I’m not going to ask for that fight because I want to go for that belt. But if they come out and they told me, ‘We want to take the UFC to Spain and you’re going to fight with Max Holloway,’ I will say, ‘Hell yes, let’s go, let’s do it.’ I want to fight in front of my people.”
“That’s the most realistic situation for me. There is nothing else for me. I showed to everyone — even before this with Bryce Mitchell — in this division no one can match my level of skill inside the cage. Nobody can, no one. No one. So what else is there for me in this division but to fight for the title? If someone can stop me and someone’s thinking they’re the champ, no one else can do it,” he added. [H/T MMA Fighting]
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