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'Wrestle the Bloke' – Alexander Volkanovski Frustrated with Charles Oliveira Game Plan against Ilia Topuria

Originally posted on FirstSportz | By Ameetosh Dash | Last updated Jul 6, 2025 10:39 AM ET

Last year at UFC 298, Alexander Volkanovski was brutally finished by Ilia Topuria, ending his legendary featherweight title reign. Since then, the Australian made a triumphant return, reclaiming his belt and proving why he’s still one of the division’s best. Meanwhile, Topuria moved to lightweight and shocked the world by defeating Charles Oliveira to capture the 155-pound title.

Volkanovski criticized Oliveira’s strategy, claiming he gave Topuria too much space and failed to apply his usual relentless pressure. Despite being the UFC’s all-time leader in finishes and a BJJ specialist, Oliveira oddly chose to stand and trade with Topuria. On the FLAGRANT Podcast, Volk expressed disappointment, suggesting Oliveira should’ve used grappling to neutralize Topuria’s striking advantage.

Wrestle the bloke, mate. You want to see what’s going to happen with his gas tank. So even with Ilia, great fighter, like even a lot of the things he does, like I’m sure a lot of it’s well trained, and then he’s got so many good instincts as well. We want to see the gas tank, see what happens there because I thought Charles when he was taking him down, and forcing the wrestle and the grapple, I felt like it was starting to wear on him a little bit. So, even when he sort of ended up on top when they grappled, I don’t know if you remember, Ilia gets up and then starts kicking him, didn’t let him up.
Alexander Volkanovski via Flagrant podcast

Before the fight, Topuria predicted Oliveira’s relentless forward pressure would cost him and promised a brutal first-round knockout finish. Living up to his word, ‘El Matador’ perfectly timed his shots and dismantled Oliveira in the very first round. After the loss, Oliveira, who entered with high hopes, took the loss in stride. However, fans were saddened to see their favorite star lose like that.

Alexander Volkanovski believes Ilia Topuria’s gas tank is still untested ⏳

"Wrestle the bloke, man. We want to see the gas tank, because I thought when Charles was taking him down and forcing the wrestle and grapple, I felt like it was starting to wear on him a little bit."… pic.twitter.com/QO6cS2UIIk
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) July 5, 2025

With his dominant win, Topuria overtook Islam Makhachev to claim the number one spot in UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings. Top contender Paddy Pimblett also criticized Oliveira, labeling him an amateur against a dangerous striker like Topuria. Pimblett and his coach vowed to study Oliveira’s mistakes carefully and use that knowledge when they eventually challenge Topuria for the title.

Paddy Pimblett wants to destroy Ilia Topuria in the future

After Topuria captured the lightweight title, Paddy Pimblett was the first contender to enter the octagon and face him. The staredown was intense and electrified the crowd, fueled by their heated rivalry and history of personal insults. Topuria later stated he wants the UK native next, and confidently promised to finish the British fighter with a dominant submission.

Pimblett compared his rivalry with Topuria to the legendary Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor showdown at UFC 229, citing similar intensity. He also accused Topuria of mimicking Conor McGregor’s trash talk and persona to boost his fame and fan following. In a Sky Sports interview, Pimblett confidently detailed how he would approach the fight if they ever met in the octagon.

I finish him. I don’t see him lasting five rounds with me. I genuinely believe I’d finish him. Keep having mad, mad dreams that I finish him in like the first 10 seconds like McGregor did Aldo. That wouldn’t be good enough for him. I’d want to beat him up for a consistent couple of rounds, hit him with over like 70 elbows, disfigure him a little bit, and then finish him.
Paddy Pimblett via Sky Sports

Both Topuria and Pimblett remain undefeated in the UFC, carrying strong momentum and growing fan bases behind them. In his last outing, Pimblett secured a dominant TKO win over Michael Chandler, further solidifying his lightweight title credentials. Besides calling out Topuria, the UK star has also expressed interest in moving up to welterweight for future high-profile matchups.

This article first appeared on FirstSportz and was syndicated with permission.

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