Alex Volkanovski has explained why he considers Yair Rodriguez to be a bigger threat than Ilia Topuria as the division continues to heat up.
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Next month at UFC 290, Alex Volkanovski will defend his UFC featherweight championship against Yair Rodriguez. It will serve as a unification bout, given that Rodriguez is currently the interim champ.
However, despite the excitement surrounding the match-up, many are still focused on Ilia Topuria. The Georgian-Spanish star put on quite the show last weekend, dominating Josh Emmett in a one-sided affair. It was easily the biggest win of his career thus far and, unsurprisingly, he’s starting to think about a title shot.
Volkanovski, of course, has to stay focused on the dangerous Mexican contender ahead of him. During a recent interview, though, he did take some time to speak about Topuria’s success.
“I’m hearing a lot of people mentioning other guys, Ilia fighting other guys – I’m like, ‘No,’” Volkanovski said. “Don’t do it. Just give me a guy. Give me a contender. To be honest, I’m not going to say too much. I think he’s a good fighter. But the more I speak, the less I’m going to hype up the fight. I think he’s great.”