“Of course, he’s going to be cocky,” Volkanovski told Fox Sports Australia of Topuria’s prediction. “He knocked me out. He thinks he’ll do it again, and he has every right to think that. But I’m going out there to change that, get that belt back. So while he has every right to think like that, he won’t know until I show him.”

An interesting subplot at UFC 312 involves UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria and former champ Alexander Volkanovski who will be cornering against each other on Saturday when Topuria's brother faces one of Volkanovski's teammates.

Alexander Volkanovski has given his thoughts on Ilia Topuria wanting to fight Islam Makhachev next instead of him.

UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria sees two viable options for his next fight. Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) is coming off a stunning knockout of Max Holloway to retain his belt at UFC 308 in October.

Ilia Topuria confidently predicts he'll submit Alexander Volkanovski in their rematch, setting the stage for a high-stakes UFC showdown.

It seems (or at least that's what they insist in the United States) that the near future will bring a second fight between Ilia Topuria (16-0) and Alexander Volkanovski (26-4). And

Rising middleweight star Bo Nickal has claimed a rematch between Ilia Topuria and Alexander Volkanovski is “official” for UFC 314 in April.

As great as it was to watch Ilia Topuria's rise to the featherweight championship, it was equally painful watching him put Alexander Volkanovski's lights out in the manner that he did. The post UFC Fans Brace for Darkest Trauma as Ilia Topuria vs Alexander Volkanovski Rematch Brings Heated Trash Talk appeared first on EssentiallySports.