"He never knocked out Josh Emmett in one round" - Ex-champion casts doubts on Ilia Topuria's prediction for Alexander Volkanovski clash at UFC 298

Undefeated featherweight challenger Ilia Topuria boldly predicted a first-round knockout win at UFC 298 against one of the most dominant champions the division has seen, Alexander Volkanovski.

However, former middleweight champion Michael Bisping questioned his prediction by bringing up his last outing against fellow contender Josh Emmett. Bisping pointed out that he had failed to knock out Emmett.

Speaking in a video on his YouTube channel, Bisping said:

"Topuria is brimming with confidence... Beautiful boxing, beautiful striking, with the support of two nations on his back. You might think that brings a lot of pressure, not to this man. He’s got his turtleneck on, he’s got his private chef and he’s ready to go. He’s ready to knock people out and [he said] he’s going to knock out Volkanovski in one round. The only problem is, he never knocked out Josh Emmett in one round. And if you don’t knock out Josh Emmett in one round, I don’t really think that looks like you’re going knock out Volkanovski in one round. Could be wrong."

Topuria does have two first-round knockouts to his name from his six victories in the octagon and will look to notch up another. Bisping continued:

"Both of these men are incredible fighters, of course Volkanovski feels like that Topuria is underestimating him... These are the things you say, you hype the fight, you get the fans going crazy, you talk s**t in the media and you’re brimming with confidence to the camera. Maybe deep down, maybe not quite so confident but who knows. Maybe this is the start of the latest era in the featherweight division. Maybe Ilia Topuria is the future GOAT."

Check out Michael Bisping's full comments below (0:55):

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Alexander Volkanovski is relishing the opportunity to prove his doubters wrong

Alexander Volkanovski suffered perhaps his most devastating loss since 2013 in his last outing against Islam Makhachev at UFC 294.

A short-notice title rematch was always going to be a risky affair, but Volkanovski found himself on the receiving end of a stunning head-kick KO. On his YouTube channel, 'The Great' explained why the narrative was poised for a big win at UFC 298 to propel his legacy even further.

Alexander Volkanovski said:

"It's perfect for my storyline right now... Everyone's looking at me from the lost loss, coming off that, and people are looking into my age being 35 and all this... This young, hungry, undefeated prospect knocking people out... And then I get to do what I've always loved doing. Which is silencing doubters. I love proving people wrong. I've been doing it my whole life."

Check out Alexander Volkanovski's full comments below (16:35):