Whilst Volkanovski gives ‘credit’ to Ilia Topuria for marketing UFC 298, his head coach expects the trash-talking to end in a rude awakening.
A lot has been said about the self-confidence and belief of Ilia Topuria in the build-up to facing Alexander Volkanovski this weekend at UFC 298 in Anaheim, California.
Whilst some pundits have given credit to the undefeated contender’s mindset, including the man who will be standing across from him Saturday night, others like head coach Joe Lopez believe that Topuria ‘running his mouth’ will ultimately cost him the championship.
Ilia ‘running his mouth’ will cost him title fight vs Volkanovski
The current featherweight king was training at Renzo Gracie Los Angeles on the second episode of UFC Embedded this week with head coach Joe Lopez suggesting that Topuria’s brash attitude towards his fighter will cost him dearly.
“Ilia’s been running his mouth off, [saying] he’s already the world champion, making movies about himself with the belt.”
“I think he’s a little bit ahead of himself” noted the veteran trainer, adding: “Anyone you speak to wants to shut him up [and] when a guy talks that much s***, you just want to shut him up [too].”
Topuria has already been promoting himself as the UFC featherweight champion, with many calling his dismissive attitude towards Volkanovski’s skills a point of concern ahead of their PPV showdown.
Whilst coach Lopez and many other pundits agree that Topuria has given himself far more pressure (and subsequently, expectation) thanks to his social media tirade, Volkanovski can see the silver lining.
In fact, Volkanovski gave credit to Topuria for hyping up his fans and bringing more marketing material to be used in the UFC 298 promotion, especially given his age and place in the sport.
“He’s saying some things [here], he’s doing some things [there], but that’s the thing: Credit to him, but man it’s going to bite you in the a** so bad,” he told TheMacLife.
“[Losing] could be a big hit to your career the way you’re talking…Things need to go extremely right for you for this to work out and it’s just not going to…I don’t wish any ill will to him, he’s probably a good kid just playing the [marketing] game.”
Volkanovski defends his title against Topuria this weekend at UFC 298.