MMA News

Tag: Aleksandre Topuria

  • Alexander Volkov Calls Alex Pereira vs. Ciryl Gane ‘Not a True Title Fight’

    Alexander Volkov Calls Alex Pereira vs. Ciryl Gane ‘Not a True Title Fight’

    Alexander Volkov has watched the UFC build the Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane interim heavyweight title fight at UFC Freedom 250, and he has a pointed take on what it actually represents, both for the sport and for himself as a potential future opponent.

    Speaking with MMA Fighting ahead of his UFC 328 bout against Waldo Cortes-Acosta this Saturday in Newark, Volkov acknowledged the commercial logic behind the booking while being blunt about what it is not.

    “It doesn’t matter who wins. If Ciryl Gane wins, he will beat a UFC star. He will go on the next media level. If Alex Pereira wins, he won like third title in his career, so he will be good. Anyway, UFC won with this fight. And it will be for sure not like a boring fight, but it’s not true title fight. It’s more like a promotional or media fight.”

    He also pointed to a specific technical concern about how both fighters have been protected from wrestling throughout their careers, suggesting the matchup is convenient for that reason too.

    “Gane has never been under the pressure of a wrestler. He never been with the kind of Curtis Blaydes guy who just can take him down and hold it for a while and then beat him up, make good ground-and-pound. We never see him in this position. The UFC gives him pretty comfortable fighters. And Alex Pereira is also a kickboxing guy and we didn’t see him also with good wrestlers. This fight is good for both of them.”

    Volkov took issue with the path Pereira took to earn the heavyweight title shot, noting that his victory over Magomed Ankalaev in his most recent light heavyweight appearance came against an opponent who was competing with broken ribs.

    “Alex Pereira, for sure he’s very talented and he shows, like, crazy performances. But, to be honest, his previous fight, before he won, he lost to Ankalaev. Then he beat Ankalaev, but I was in this camp, and Ankalaev was with broken ribs. He was just too confident himself to go in the cage. And probably Alex Pereira knows this and this is why he pushes so hard. He just lost to the guy, then he beats him with just broken rib, and now he wants to go one category up, where he never fought, and they give him title shot. In logic, it doesn’t have any sense. It’s just marketing.”

    Looking at a hypothetical matchup between himself and Pereira, Volkov was direct about how he sees the size and stylistic dynamics playing out.

    “Fighting with Alex Pereira will be more easy for me, but more big fight if he won. He’s big, but I’m huge. I’m not saying he ever meet the guys like me and his stand is a little bit open for this type of big guys. He’s used to fight with guys who try to attack him, can’t touch him and he counterpunches with his hook or uppercut, but it’s so hard to do with me because I’m much taller, I have good reach and I have very good kicks. More to this now, I’m working with a lot of wrestling. On paper, I feel I have an advantage against Alex Pereira.”

    Volkov reserved his strongest words for how the entire situation has affected Tom Aspinall, calling the undisputed champion’s circumstances the most unfair element of the whole picture.

    “Honestly, I’m most upset for Tom Aspinall. Imagine him in this situation. He did so much work for the UFC, he fought a lot of fights. He was on a very good winning streak, he showed really impressive fights for everybody. And now we have Ciryl Gane, a guy who actually lost to me. He lose the fight for me, he injured Aspinall. It’s a very serious injury. I feel how bad Tom Aspinall is feeling looking at this White House fight and then they give Ciryl Gane the biggest fight in his life with Alex Pereira. It’s just not fair to the champ.”

    Volkov fights Cortes-Acosta on the UFC 328 main card this Saturday at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

  • Aleksandre Topuria Reportedly Booked For Sophomore Octagon Appearance At UFC Qatar On Nov. 22

    Aleksandre Topuria Reportedly Booked For Sophomore Octagon Appearance At UFC Qatar On Nov. 22

    Aleksandre Topuria is seemingly gearing up for his second UFC fight.

    According to a recent report by Marca’s Irati Prat, Topuria is expected to square off against Bekzat Almakhan in bantamweight bout at UFC Qatar, scheduled for November 22 at ABHA Arena in Doha.

    The upcoming UFC Fight Night will mark the promotion’s first-ever stop in Qatar and its sixth event in Asia this year. The card is already taking shape with several intriguing matchups, including a light heavyweight clash between former champion Jan Blachowicz and Bogdan Guskov, a flyweight tilt featuring Alex Perez vs. Asu Almabayev, and another 205-pound showdown pitting Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev against Rafael Cerqueira.

    When Did Aleksandre Topuria And Bekzat Almakhan Last Compete In UFC?

    Aleksandre Topuria most recently competed at UFC 312 this past February, earning a unanimous decision victory over Colby Thicknesse in his promotional debut.

    The elder brother of reigning UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria is riding a four-fight winning streak, with his lone professional setback dating back to May 2015, when he suffered a third-round knockout against Ivo Ivanov under a regional promotion.

    “El Conquistador” now boasts a 6-1 record, with five of those victories coming by way of first-round finishes.

    Meanwhile, Bekzat Almakhan aims to carry the momentum from his first-round knockout of Brad Katona at UFC 315 this past May. The 27-year-old Kazakh prospect made his Octagon debut earlier in March 2024 at UFC Vegas 87, where he fell short against former bantamweight title challenger Umar Nurmagomedov by unanimous decision.

    “The Turan Warrior” holds a professional record of 12-2, with 11 of his victories secured inside the distance by way of stoppage.

    Images: @aleksandre_topuria/@ufceurasia/Instagram
  • Topuria Brothers Split from Longtime Coaches Jorge and Agustín Climent

    Topuria Brothers Split from Longtime Coaches Jorge and Agustín Climent

    Ilia and Aleksandre Topuria have officially ended their professional relationship with Jorge and Agustín Climent, marking the conclusion of a long-standing training partnership in MMA.

    As confirmed by MARCA, the decision comes as both parties now live in different cities and face growing professional obligations that prevent them from maintaining the same level of collaboration. The Topuria brothers extended their gratitude for the years of shared growth and learning, wishing the Climents well in their future endeavors.

    Ilia Topuria, who moved from Alicante to Madrid several months ago to be closer to his athletic and commercial commitments, has already begun shaping a new team ahead of UFC 317 and his upcoming bout against Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight title in Las Vegas on June 28.

    The updated training camp includes familiar faces within Topuria’s circle: his brother Aleksandre, Javi Climent (unrelated to the Climent brothers), Jesús Gallo, Doctor Aldo, Fran Ortega, Raúl Valdesuso, Doctor David Beneito, Mathias Ribeiro, and Mani Tavanaei.

    According to reports, the Climent brothers also confirmed the split, expressing mutual respect and appreciation toward Ilia and Aleksandre after their 13-year working relationship.

  • ‘Never Close To His Brother’s Level’ – Fans Split As Ilia Topuria’s Sibling Wins Debut At UFC 312

    ‘Never Close To His Brother’s Level’ – Fans Split As Ilia Topuria’s Sibling Wins Debut At UFC 312

    Though the jury may still be out on him, Aleksandre Topuria, the brother of UFC Featherweight Champion Ilia Topuria, undoubtedly scored a victory in his Octagon debut, defeating Colby Thicknesse during the preliminary card of UFC 312 in Australia.

    The Spaniard and his Australian foe traded plenty of strikes to start things off, with the former also shaking off a pair of takedown attempts in the fight’s opening minute.

    Late in the first, Topuria rocked Thicknesse with a right hand, with the latter going down to the mat. In spite of “El Conquistador” taking his back, Thicknesse was able to get back to his feet and got away from his grasp. Topuria, however, managed to land one nasty-looking suplex in the round’s closing seconds.

    Thicknesse picked up the pacing and volume of his striking in the second round. The Spanish newcomer, however, maintained his stalking, pressure-based approach en route to another strong performance.

    By the middle of the third round, Topuria had stuffed eight of Thicknesse’s takedown attempts before “El Conquistador” took the fight to the ground himself. Ilia’s brother rode out about half of the final round in top position, controlling the position and stopping any desperation submission attempts from Thicknesse.

    Aleksandre Topuria, Ilia’s Brother, Wins UFC Debut At UFC 312

    The Spanish debutant went 2-1 in fights during 2015 before taking years off, helping Ilia out with his MMA journey. He competed three times between December 2021 and May 2023, winning all three fights, before making his UFC debut tonight.

    Thicknesse, meanwhile,was 7-0 prior to tonight, most recently defeating Marven Malunes at a HEX Fight Series event in November.

  • Debuting Aleksandre Topuria ‘Not His Brother’, Says UFC 312 Opponent

    Debuting Aleksandre Topuria ‘Not His Brother’, Says UFC 312 Opponent

    Colby Thicknesse is vowing to show the difference in ability between Ilia Topuria and the featherweight kingpin’s UFC debuting brother this weekend.

    The preliminary card of Saturday’s UFC 312 pay-per-view will see two prominent newcomers collide, with Thicknesse and Aleksandre Topuria getting their first taste of Octagon action against one another.

    The Australian bantamweight, a teammate of Alexander Volkanovski’s, boasts an undefeated record and is coming off championship success under the HEX Fight Series banner. In “El Conquistador,” though, Thicknesse is facing the sibling of one of the most feared and dominant men in the UFC right now.

    But challenging an opponent who trains alongside the current 145-pound champ and shares the same name doesn’t faze the local favorite, who is confident in rejecting any comparison between the two when it comes to skill level.

    “He’s definitely got the same sort of style because they train together, but he’s not his brother, and I’m going to go out there on (Saturday) and show it,” Thicknesse said during UFC 312 media day. “He hasn’t really beaten anybody noticeable. His opponent’s combined records aren’t that great. Come (Saturday), I get to go out and show that against him.”

  • Ilia Topuria’s Brother Gets Alexander Volkanovski’s Teammate As Replacement Opponent For UFC 312

    Ilia Topuria’s Brother Gets Alexander Volkanovski’s Teammate As Replacement Opponent For UFC 312

    UFC debutant Aleksandre Topuria has a new opponent to prepare for, and one that could re-spark the rivalry between his brother Ilia and Alexander Volkanovski.

    While plenty of attention has been on Ilia’s impressive rise to championship glory at 145 pounds in the UFC, his sibling has been working away himself, looking to parve his own path to mixed martial arts’ biggest stage.

    And after signing with the promotion, Aleksandre’s debut was announced for UFC 312 in Sydney, Australia early next month. Originally, the 5-1 bantamweight prospect was set to face Cody Haddon. But with an injury ruling him out, Topuria’s new first matchup brings with it a backstory.

    Per a report from Spanish journalist Álvaro Colmenero, “El Cazador” is now set to share the cage with the undefeated Colby Thicknesse on Feb. 8. Interestingly, as well as being a HEC champion, the Australian is a teammate of Volkanovski’s.

    Ilia knocked Volkanovski out in Anaheim almost 12 months ago to capture the featherweight gold. After repeating that violent feat at the expense of Max Holloway last October, many are expecting the Spaniard to run it back with “Alexander the Great” in 2025.

    Another occasional training partner of the ex-champ’s, City Kickboxing standout Dan Hooker, also recently claimed that Topuria turned down a defense against Volkanovski for UFC 313 in March due to a need for longer to make the weight.

    It remains to be seen whether Ilia and his Aussie rival will renew hostilities inside the cage. For now, though, they’ll be preparing for a different team Topuria vs. team Volkanovski battle at UFC 312.