There are many voices that have spoken about UFC 298 taking place this Saturday in Anaheim, California. And one of them, that of Israel Adesanya, is more than authorized. The one from Lagos, Nigeria, who was a two-time middleweight champion, spoke before the fight on ‘Ultimate Fight Zone’. And although he declares himself Pro-Topuria… he sees ‘Volk’ as the winner.
About the sensations with Topuria: “I think Ilia is doing the right thing for him. You can draw life the way you want and he’s drawing it the way he wants. I think it’s brilliant, but you can’t arrive at the important moment and fail. You can’t, you have to be authentic “I love Ilia’s boxing, I love how he mixes his fight, I like his combinations. This is going to be like my fight at UFC 253; it is the story of the undefeated fighter. Before I fought Paulo Costa, everyone said: ‘ He lasted three rounds with Yoel Romero. That was a show of strength for them. And I said: ‘Costa is only good because he fights against punching bags.’
“I’m Ilia Topuria, I’m going to crush him in the first round and whoever doubts it… screw him!”
This is going to be like my fight at UFC 253; It is the story of the undefeated fighter
Israel Adesanya
About Volkanovski: “Volkanovski is not going to go near the cage. Alex’s spatial awareness when he is in the octagon is second to none. He knows where the black line is and he knows how to make sure he is the one in charge. Look at his third fight with Holloway; Max is not He could land his kicks because the distance is deceptive and Alex is like an orangutan, with a deceptively long reach and handles the distance very well.
Volkanovski is like an orangutan, with a deceptively long reach and handles distance very well.
Israel Adesanya
Volkanovski post Makhachev: “I like the feeling that after this last fight [contra Makhachev] people just dismiss it [a Volkanovski], but I don’t see it that way. There are those who made memes about that, but he had accepted that fight with hardly any time to prepare and someone like that has balls and guts. I like the trend there, because Alex is a dangerous man. I’ve seen what he can do and this is going to be different.”
Topuria: “It will be in the first round… but I have prepared to fight for five days”
El estilo de Topuria: “Ilia is a beautiful fighter, I think his boxing is something magnificent to watch. I like the role of Matador that he plays, it is good for the sport, but if there is someone great, it is Alexander Volkanovski. My winner is ‘The Great’, I’m betting on a late stoppage in the fourth round. It will be a KO or TKO.”
I like the Matador role he plays, it’s good for the sport, but if there is someone great, it’s Alexander Volkanovski
Israel Adesanya
This is how the fight will be: “I think it’s just going to wear him out. It’s different when you’re in the championship rounds and you have Volkanovski in front of you. You can have your training partners, but no one can simulate this in front of you. You can have someone fresh in front of you, But no one can imitate what you’re going to encounter or act with the tenacity that Volk will. You think, ‘I just hit this guy or I’m missing punches, but he keeps coming back, and it suffocates people.’ “I’ve seen this happen in fights and in training. I think that’s what he’s going to do and Ilia will only have one chance at the beginning, in the first or second round, and then I see him going downhill.”