Ilia Topuria Eyes Future Fight vs. Canelo Alvarez: ‘I Think I Have a Chance with Him’

While Ilia Topuria is the latest in a long line of mixed martial artists eyeing crossover boxing fights, “El Matador” is aiming for the very best.

Topuria is currently slated to challenge Alexander Volkanovski for the featherweight title in the main event at UFC 298 on Feb. 17. The undefeated Spanish prospect hopes to keep his record intact and ideally go on to defend his throne against former champ Max Holloway in front of his home fans.

“So, that’s what I think is going to happen that I’m going to beat ‘Volk’ on Feb. 17, and then I’m going to fight Max Holloway here in Spain. That’s my goal right now, and I think it’s going to happen,” Topuria recently said in an appearance on the OverDogs Podcast.

While defeating arguably the two greatest featherweights of all time would be no small feat, Topuria’s aspirations don’t stop there. Once he has the credibility of a UFC title to make his case, Topuria wants to fight Canelo Alvarez in the future. While he has a lot of respect for Canelo, “El Matador” believes he can beat the four-division world champion.

“I would love to fight one day with Canelo,” Topuria said. “I have so, so much respect for him. But I wanna fight with him one day. Once I win the belt and become a UFC world champion, I wanna go for him. Because I really think I have a chance with him. I’ve been following him forever. I believe I have the possibility to beat him.”

Topuria’s most recent win came against Josh Emmett via unanimous decision at UFC on ABC 5 in June in June, which was only the second time he went the distance in his entire career. Meanwhile, Volkanovski is coming off a Round 1 head-kick knockout loss against lightweight champ Islam Makhachev in a short-notice rematch at UFC 294 last month, marking the Australian’s second failed bid at double-champ status.