Alexander Volkanovsky BACKS Ilia Topuria To Beat Justin Gaethje In Rematch

Alexander Volkanovsky says Ilia Topuria beats Justin Gaethje if the rematch gets made - and he's not the only voice in the room backing the former champion to run it back. This breakdown pulls together how the biggest names in the sport see Topuria's road back to gold. Joe Rogan hasn't turned on Topuria - he still rates him among the best in the UFC, and argues the loss was actually the smart move that sets up the comeback. Rogan also questions whether Topuria should even stay at this weight going forward. Aljamain Sterling and Islam Makhachev want to see him fight his way back to a title, but both flag the same warning: whatever cost him the belt last time can't happen again. Demetrious Johnson, Jon Jones and Javier Mendez are firmly in his corner, with Jones going as far as ranking Topuria's skill set above Makhachev's. Chael Sonnen is the outlier, pointing to the injuries, the missed training time and the cardio questions still hanging over the return. Outside the gym, the noise gets louder. Kamaru Usman floats a fight with Usman Nurmagomedov as the smarter test. Ali Abdelaziz backs his own fighter to take Topuria down if that fight happens, and Malki Kawa fires straight back. Paddy Pimblett, talking to Daniel Cormier, isn't buying any of it, calling Topuria fake. Where do you land on this one? #UFC #MMA #Lightweight #Featherweight #TopuriaVsGaethje