Number five of the UFC featherweight ranking, the Spanish fighter of Georgian origin Ilia Topuria announced his intention to try his hand at professional boxing.
Recall, on February 17 at the UFC 298 tournament in Las Vegas (USA) Topuria will fight with the promotion's champion in the featherweight division Alexander Volkanovski.
I would love to fight Alvarez one day. I have a lot of respect for him and will fight him one day. As soon as I become UFC champion, I want to fight him. Because I really believe I have a chance with him.
Ilia Topuria for YouTube channel Kanpai Media
Topuria, 26, last stepped into the octagon in June 2023 at UFC on ABC 5, defeating Josh Emmett by unanimous decision. He has 14 wins and no losses on his record.
Volkanovski, 35, rematched Islam Makhachev for the lightweight championship belt at UFC 294 on Oct. 21. This confrontation ended with the victory of the Russian fighter by knockout in the first round. Volkanovski has 26 wins and three losses.