Ilia Topuria shocked the combat sports world when he defeated Alexander Volkanovski with a second-round knockout at UFC 298. The historic fight saw Topuria win the featherweight title at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. The Georgian-Spaniard crushed Australia’s Volkanovski with a devastating right hook to land his maiden championship.
The fight ended Volkanovski’s spectacular four-year reign and five-fight title defense streak. The victory extended Topuria’s unbeaten record to 15 fights, as the world champion announced himself to the world in grand style. For many pundits, the 2024 defeat signaled the end of Volkanovski’s peak years. However, defeating one of the best in UFC featherweight history didn’t quite come with the feelings Topuria anticipated.
How Ilia Topuria felt after ousting Alexander Volkanovski to become world champion
Volkanovski was returning to the featherweight class after failing in his second attempt to capture Islam Makhachev’s lightweight belt. Meanwhile, Topuria entered the fight in high spirits, being one of the division’s most ferocious punchers. He had displayed unwavering confidence during pre-fight, grabbing Volkanovski’s belt during a news conference. He also proudly wore a replica title, predicting an early knockout. While Volkanovski’s quality shone in the event, it was Topuria’s danger with power that ultimately stole the show. Yet, in less than 24 hours after the anticipated win, Topuria reported feelings that surprised him.
“It’s weird because when you have a dream, you think that once you achieve, it, that’s it you’ve done everything you wanted in life. I remember winning the world title, waking up the next morning, and the first thing I asked myself was, ‘What now? What do I do now?’ I had already achieved the dream I thought would complete everything.”
He described the morning after his UFC 298 win in a clip from Home of Fight, a UFC-themed X page. Rather than sponsor vast positive emotions, Topuria admitted that his world championship win left him with fresh questions. Like many successful people eventually discover, the real things that make people happy transcend the ephemeral. They include events and people that directly and deeply impact us in our daily experience. Topria has discovered this truth and would likely never view world championships the same way again.
