Alexander Volkanovski gives Ilia Topura vs. Justin Gaethje prediction
· Yahoo Sports
A lightweight championship unification bout between champion Ilia Topuria and interim titleholder Justin Gaethje headlines the UFC Freedom 250 fight card on June 14 at the White House. It will be Topuria's first title defense.
Topuria is a heavy betting favorite two weeks out from the event, but should he be? UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovksi broke down the main event matchup on his YouTube channel and gave his prediction for the outcome.
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"Ilia Topuria, Justin Gaethje, White House, main event fight. Huge fight. Ilia obviously looking like the favorite. The pros are saying this could be a very, very bad night for Justin Gaethje," Volkanovski said.
"Justin Gaethje, obviously a durable, aggressive fighter and still quite calculated. A lot of people see him being so aggressive and think he's just going to be so open for Ilia. ... Justin Gaethje has a lot of offense, very aggressive, but he will still try and put himself in defensive positions. He'll shell up."
"So Gaethje, I think being defensive coming forward with maybe trying to come forward, pressure, really shield up, not giving easy options for Ilia is going to be his approach. I've seen him sort of do that, and I think he's going to know he needs to do that," Volkanovski added. "It just depends on what Gaethje shows up.
Topuria is also an aggressive fighter with deadly accurate hands. He's precise with his counter strikes and can end a fight with one shot. But it won't be easy according to the featherweight champ.
"Are there easy ways to find a finish for Ilia? No. This is going to be maybe a little bit harder," said Volkanovski. "But as soon as Gaethje opens himself up ... As soon as he tries to open up and let his hands go off, you know, take the opportunity, I just believe Ilia is going to be too sharp and just catch him. I think he's safe enough and defensive enough to not fall into any of Gaethje's traps and then as soon as Gaethje opens up, game over."
"I think it's going to be a KO for Ilia," predicted Volkanovski. "He's the favorite for a reason. I think he's just going to be too much and he's going to be the KO victory."