Ilia Topuria calls out Joe Rogan: “UFC never offered me this fight”
Ilia Topuria (15-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC), the UFC’s newly minted featherweight champion, is unhappy after recent comments from UFC color commentator Joe Rogan regarding Topuria’s intention not to immediately rematch Alexander Volkanovski (26-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC) at UFC 305 in Australia in August.
On a recent episode of “JRE,” the most widely-consumed podcast in the world, Rogan, who has been with the UFC since 2002 after a brief stint in the mid-90s, suggested that Topuria would not fight the former champion in Volkanovski based on rumors he had heard around the community.
“I don’t know who he wants to fight next,” Rogan told ex-UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway. “But I guess he feels like he’s the champ; he can call the shots. I know that he turned down the Perth one—305, the Volkanovski rematch.”
Topuria took to ‘X’ (formerly Twitter) Wednesday in response to Rogan. The champion denied any of those potential rumors, saying Holloway (26-7 MMA, 22-7 UFC) is the next rightful challenger.
Illia Topuria calls out Joe Rogan without mentioning him by name
I never turned down the rematch with Alex as the UFC has never offered me this fight. As I’ve said many times before, I will be the first to knockout Holloway. Let’s keep this simple: Do you want to fight? If the answer is yes, there's nothing more to discuss. Bring my belt and…
— Ilia Topuria (@Topuriailia) May 1, 2024
“I never turned down the rematch with Alex as the UFC has never offered me this fight.” Illia Topuria wrote. “As I’ve said many times before, I will be the first to knockout Holloway. Let’s keep this simple: Do you want to fight? If the answer is yes, there’s nothing more to discuss. Bring my belt and your pillow.”
At press time, Topuria’s tweet has taken MMA Twitter by storm. Many fans have tweeted to defend Topuria, claiming Rogan is lying to gain attention.
Regardless of who is correct, Topuria has already proven himself with the potential to become a global superstar, including appearances at Real Madrid soccer games and claiming that he will be the richest athlete in the world by 2025.
Illia Topuria has not been booked for a fight, as the UFC has yet to announce a main event for UFC 305 or UFC 306. UFC 306 will take place Sept. 14 at the MSG Sphere in Las Vegas, culminating with Mexican Independence Day Weekend.
It remains to be seen if the UFC will respond to the online firestorm, but it’ll likely be business as usual.
What are your thoughts on Illia Topuria’s response to Joe Rogan, and who is in the right in your opinion?
This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM
Topics:
Ilia Topuria Joe Rogan Max Holloway UFC
