As a potential rematch looms, it appears there’s no animosity between Ilia Topuria and Alexander Volkanovski.
UFC featherweight champion Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) and former titleholder Volkanovski (26-4 MMA, 13-3 UFC) are both in Sydney for Saturday’s UFC 312 event. Coincidentally, they will be cornering against each other, with Topuria’s brother Aleksandre set to make his octagon debut against Volkanovski’s teammate Colby Thicknesse in a bantamweight bout on the prelims (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN2, ESPN+).
The pair, who are rumored for a potential second encounter this year after Topuria took the belt off Volkanovski by second-round knockout at UFC 298 in February 2024, were plenty cordial when they crossed paths backstage at Friday’s ceremonial weigh-ins.
Topuria and Volkanovski greeted each other and shared words, then took a photo with Charles Oliveira and UFC Hall of Famer Urijah Faber (via Instagram):
公式計量セレモニーの舞台裏では・・・👀
😉📸
👊 #UFC312
📅2月9日（日）
⏰️プレリム8時｜メインカード12時
📺 @UNEXT_fight & #UFCFightPass
📍オーストラリア・シドニー#FeelNewSydney pic.twitter.com/7YZ65slCTO— UFC Japan (@ufc_jp) February 7, 2025
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 312.
