He played the game perfectly: said all the things to stir up genuine interest, leaned into the villain role and successfully weighed in for tomorrow night’s UFC 298 PPV main event against long-reigning featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski. Before then, here’s a rewind to the display which saw Ilia Topuria earn the latest title shot at 145lbs against Josh Emmett last June.
One man’s power is not like the others
Alexander Volkanovski (c) vs. Ilia Topuria [3]
UFC featherweight championship to headline UFC 298 in Anaheim, California
Estimated main event ringwalks from 5am BST overnight
- Topuria landed a new career-high 152 significant strikes (44% success, 344 thrown) over 25 minutes against former interim title challenger
- Georgian admitted he expected a first-round finish against durable veteran, who sustained damage aplenty but survived repeated onslaughts
- On what he wanted next at the time, last June: “I’m the next guy, without any doubt. I want Alex to defend that belt, then I’ll show him and the whole world his world’s gonna end and mine will start.”
A rewind back to June 24, 2023 — 50-44, 50-42, 49-45: Ilia Topuria bt. Josh Emmett via UD5 in featherweight title eliminator
After consecutive performance bonus victories against Jai Herbert and Bryce Mitchell, this served as Ilia Topuria’s spotlight moment to shine.
His maiden featherweight main event matchup, after a memorable one-fight lightweight showcase in London 13 months prior, up against a determined Josh Emmett four months removed from a stoppage defeat by Yair Rodriguez.
It was the first time he went the full 25-minute distance – having been pushed a full 15 by former UFC fighter Youssef Zalal on his promotional debut in October 2020.
Here though, we got some answers and a fitting preview for this weekend against a durable veteran who always felt one or two fights away from true championship gold despite logging an impressive five-fight win streak of his own just twelve months ago.
Emmett immediately went to work against the Georgian, flashing his boxing skills with combination punching and trying evasive tactics on the back foot as Topuria took centre ring, both feinted and consciously keen to land the fight’s biggest strike.
Topuria has previously been guilty of winding up too much on his punches when throwing, but maintained a tight defensive guard and used shoulder rolling well in the pocket as they exchanged up close, though it wasn’t faultless.
Pawing out the left-hand jab and trying to stay patient, even as Emmett threw more often and embraced risk by charging into the fire, it was telling the 27-year-old was first to diversify his attacks by throwing leg kicks too.
They visibly had an impact on an undeterred Emmett, who continued throwing power punches from the outside in round two.
Some landed, but not enough to keep Topuria at distance for sustained periods as the unbeaten fighter exploded forward into combos and they wobbled each other at the 1:25 mark – the last of a three-punch combo for Topuria did the damage.
That was before Emmett steadied himself and partially blocked a flurry of shots with his back to the cage before landing a counter left over the top which saw the favourite stumble to the canvas moments later.
Topuria threatened a stoppage in the final seconds of said round after landing a clubbing right which sent the former interim title challenger to his knees, Emmett’s face bloodied and on unsteady legs through ten minutes, such was the venomous force of the punches he was repeatedly eating flush on the chin. This couldn’t last.
Round-by-round striking stats
R1: Topuria 21-14 (37%)
R2: Topuria 30-19 (40%)
R3: Topuria 37-31 (40%)
R4: Topuria 56-13 (56%)
R5: Topuria 21-10 total strikes, three takedowns and 2:33 control time
The production and efficiency only intensified from there, Topuria bloodthirsty for a spectacular finish while Emmett gamely continued his approach. The alternative wasn’t an option, though the gap hetween them soon became obvious.
Yet every time Emmett looked like he was going down, at danger of being stopped, he just walked forward and fired back defiantly to land more than he had before.
Round three proved the underdog’s busiest and most successful round – 31 of 81 significant strikes (38%) landed, though any momentum he was building came crashing to a halt midway through the fourth.
Topuria’s low leg kicks were grounding him temporarily or shaking his calves as the crowd noise told the story, expecting this to be over.
His jabs were landing more again, his defence steadier again and a counter left hook caught Emmett clean for a knockdown. More leg kicks, a heavy uppercut before ground-and-pound strikes rained down before the clock came to Emmett’s rescue.
A medical assessment came and went without issue, though he needed to exercise urgency in the fifth as this was dangerously close to being over.
Swinging wildly trying to bait Topuria into trading again didn’t work as it once had, then the younger man timed a takedown brilliantly midway through the round.
Scrambles and jostling for a more favourable position wasn’t helpful either with Topuria’s intense pressure persisting until the final bell, his latest assignment passed with flying colours. The question isn’t whether he can replicate that showing in his biggest career moment yet, but if he’ll be allowed those same opportunities.
UFC 298 card, is as follows
Main card
UFC featherweight championship: Alexander Volkanovski (c) vs. Ilia Topuria [3]
Middleweight: Robert Whittaker [3] vs. Paulo Costa [6]
Welterweight: Geoff Neal [8] vs. Ian Machado Garry [10]
Bantamweight: Merab Dvalishvili [2] vs. Henry Cejudo [3]
Middleweight: Anthony Hernandez [15] vs. Roman Kopylov
Prelims
Women’s strawweight: Amanda Lemos [3] vs. Mackenzie Dern [7]
Heavyweight: Marcos Rogerio de Lima vs. Junior Tafa
Bantamweight: Rinya Nakamura vs. Carlos Vera
Light-heavyweight: Zhang Mingyang vs. Brendson Ribeiro
Early prelims
Welterweight: Josh Quinlan vs. Danny Barlow
Welterweight: Oban Elliott vs. Val Woodburn
Women’s flyweight: Miranda Maverick vs. Andrea Lee [15]
Picture source: Getty Images
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