Top fighter in the UFC bantamweight division Merab Dvalishvili explained why he believes in Ilia Topuria’s victory in the upcoming fight with the organization’s featherweight champion Alex Volkanovski.
“I think Ilya is a good fighter. He can get clean takedowns and defends them well. Ilya's boxing is at a very high level - he can hit with combinations and drop people both with a blow to the liver and body, and to the head. He has knockout power and good jiu-jitsu. Also, his stamina is fine. Mentally he is also very well prepared and confident in himself. He doesn’t just say that he can beat him, but he believes in it, which is very important. Volkanovski is now post-defeat and may be asking himself the question: ‘He’s hit hard and what if I get knocked out again?’ These little things will worry Alex. In addition, many began to say that his era had come to an end. You never know the impact a knockout can have. Few people are able to come back from this and fight at the same level. I think all these things will make a difference.”
