Ilia Topuria is the new UFC featherweight champion of the world after brutally knocking Alexander Volkanovski out cold.
The 145-pound king delivered on his pre-fight promise to end it early and his concussive power was the difference against a man eight years his senior, who had ruled the roost so dominantly in the division.
Spain has a first UFC champion and he upset the odds in fine style. In the opening round, Volkanovski looked sharp, working on the outside and conscious of the threat posed by his opponent’s heavy hands.
Topuria was patient and both men landed heavy calf kicks, as is the current trend, with fighters trying to destabilise the base of their rival.
Volkanovski’s jab was firing like a piston and cut Topuria on the bridge of the nose but when the challenger landed, it was clear to see it had a much greater impact.
Ilia Topuria is the new UFC featherweight champion after a stunning knockout of Alexander Volkanovski
Topuria produced exactly what he said he would, knocking out Volkanovski early on and he will be hard to stop
This was the telling blow that ended it, crumpling the Australian to the mat before the referee intervened
It was a sad end to the reign of Volkanovski, who had never lost in the UFC until he met El Matador
In the second, the pattern continued but there was an air of inevitability. For all of Volkanovski’s smarts and crafty movement, he was exiting exchanges every now and again in a straight backwards line.
For Topuria to have 25 minutes to land a huge shot on the man Islam Makhachev knocked out only last October seemed more of an inevitability.
He did just that, backing his man up against the fence, sneaking a heavy right just over the shoulder and onto the chin of ‘The Great’, who crumpled to the canvas, where he remained for at least a couple of minutes.
Even though Topuria had been supremely confident all week and told anyone who would listen how it would go, El Matador still looked almost overwhelmed at the magnitude of his achievement.
Afterwards, he said: ‘Guess what, the only person you need is yourself, trust yourself and work tirelessly and anything is possible.
‘I know my skills, I work so hard. I worked so hard for this one. One day I knew I would be UFC champion. It doesn’t matter what’s behind you, it’s what’s in front of you.
‘Cold, cold,’ he said while looking up at the big screen replay of his finish.
‘I just had to throw a lot of combinations in this fight and that’s what I did. It’s time to take the UFC to Spain!’
Topuria and his entourage celebrated in the octagon, with his young son able to watch on too
Volkanovski jabbed and moved to great affect early on but was far less powerful and explosive than his opponent
The Australian could have a long break now before he dusts himself off and prepares to go again
Volkanovski, classy as ever, took the defeat with his usual grace and called for a rematch in Spain.
That would be a monstrous event given the growing support Topuria has in his adopted home, with famous faces such as Sergio Ramos already on the bandwagon.
But there’s every chance Volkanovski has an extended break from competition now. He will no doubt want a swift return to action, but with many questioning a quick turnaround from his KO defeat by Islam Makhachev last year, his brain could do with an period of recovery.
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