UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski opens up on Ilia Topuria’s glove accusation against Justin Gaethje, says “Ilia fought the wrong fight” | MMA News
Alexander Volkanovski has shared his thoughts on Ilia Topuria’s accusation that Justin Gaethje may have had something hidden in his gloves during their UFC Freedom 250 fight. The UFC featherweight champion admitted remembering seeing something pop out but questioned how such an object could have made it through the pre-fight checks.Volkanovski also suggested that Topuria knew the glove controversy was not the real reason behind his defeat. He believes the Spaniard could be using the situation to build interest in a potential rematch with Gaethje.
Alexander Volkanovski breaks down Ilia Topuria’s gloves accusation on Justin Gaethje
The controversy began after Ilia Topuria suffered the first defeat of his professional MMA career against Justin Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250. The lightweight bout ended with a fourth-round TKO victory for Gaethje.Topuria later raised questions about Gaethje’s gloves. He claimed that there was “something weird” inside them and linked it to the facial injuries he suffered during the fight.The accusation quickly became a major talking point in the MMA world. However, AlexanderVolkanovski does not appear convinced that the alleged object explains the result.The Australian fighter acknowledged that he noticed something during the fight. “I remember seeing something pop out,” Volkanovski said. However, he also questioned how anyone could place a foreign object inside a standard MMA glove without being detected.The gloves are inspected before fighters enter the cage. Officials also oversee the wrapping and glove-checking process. This has made the allegation difficult to explain from a logistical point of view.For Volkanovski, the bigger factor was the difference in tactics between the two fighters.He believes Gaethje executed his game plan extremely well. “Justin fought the perfect fight,” Volkanovski said.At the same time, he felt Topuria did not perform in the way he normally does. “Ilia fought the wrong fight,” he added.Volkanovski also believes Topuria is smart enough to understand that the glove issue was not the main reason for his loss.He suggested that the controversy could help Topuria create interest in a rematch. The accusation has kept the former champion in the headlines and has also placed additional attention on a possible second fight.A rematch could look very different, according to Volkanovski. He expects Topuria to make major tactical changes if the two fighters meet again. Rather than repeating the same approach, Topuria could alter his movement and look for different ways to close the distance against Gaethje.Volkanovski has his own history with Topuria. The two fought at UFC 298 in February 2024, when Topuria stopped him in the second round to become UFC featherweight champion.That loss gave Volkanovski first-hand experience of Topuria’s power and boxing ability. His latest comments therefore carry additional context when discussing how Topuria approaches major fights.Other fighters have been more critical of Topuria’s accusations. Arman Tsarukyan described them as a “lame excuse” for his first professional loss.
