Aleksandre Topuria believes the ‘dedication’ and self-belief of younger brother Ilia will see him crowned featherweight champion at UFC 298.
Aleksandre, 28, is himself an up-and-coming MMA fighter with a record of 5-1, with all five victories coming by way of stoppage (three KO, two submissions) on the regional scene; and this week, signed with the UFC.
His younger brother who is 27, Ilia, will step into the octagon on Saturday night to face one of the greatest pound-for-pound fighters in UFC history, Alexander Volkanovski, for the featherweight world title.
Aleksandre Topuria on brother Ilia’s chances vs Volkanovski
Featured in episode 2 of the UFC 298 Embedded series, Aleksandre Topuria celebrated how “proud” he was of his younger brother for the journey to Saturday’s main event, and the manner in which he conducts himself outside of the cage.
“Growing up together, he was always fighting and [experiencing] really hard competition. Seeing right now where he is, it makes me proud.”
Previewing what might give Ilia the edge over Volkanvoski this weekend, the 28-year-old cited how it’s not all about getting hands on the gold strap, it’s about “hard work, dedication, and a lot of sacrifice” in the training room.
“He looks very sharp, he looks very fast and strong…He’s hungry, he’s coming undefeated. I think this is the best part, we together go to the highest level…No matter where you come from it’s just hard work, and belief; belief in God and everything’s gonna be good.”
Ilia Topuria has been making headlines for his unshakable self-confidence and criticisms of Volkanovski in recent months, even changing his Instagram bio to include 15-0 (currently 14-0) and ‘UFC World Champion’.
Yet the older Topuria brother isn’t as dismissive as his younger sibling when it comes to the current king’s skills: “Alexander Volkanovski is a smart guy, he’s not just a fighter but a smart guy [outside of MMA]…He knows that it’s a very difficult match.”
The champ thinks Topuria might be surrounded by ‘yes men’
Whilst his latest challenger might be hungry to turn words into reality, current champion Volkanovski also questioned whether Ilia had the same motivations in the training room as he did on social media.
Speaking to TheMacLife, Volk shared how “Even with the training footage I’ve seen, it seems like he just got a bit of ‘yes men’ around him and he just does his separate training and gets bodies to just do whatever he wants with. [Whilst] with me, I put myself through it.”
Ilia Topuria gets his first crack at UFC gold this weekend at UFC 298 when he faces Alexander Volkanovski in the main event of the evening.