‘Topuria didn’t do anything incredible’ vs. Volkanovski

Dan Hooker thinks a quick turnaround hampered Alexander Volkanovski’s performance against Ilia Topuria.

After five title defenses, Volkanovski (26-4 MMA, 13-3 UFC) lost his featherweight title to Topuria by knockout at UFC 298 in February 2024. “The Great” made a four-month turnaround after getting knocked out by lightweight champion Islam Makhachev at UFC 294.

Hooker relates to the affects a quick turnaround can have on a performance.

“I feel like he just turned too quickly around from the Islam Makhachev fight,” Hooker told Sky Sports New Zealand. “I don’t think Ilia Topuria did anything that incredible. I feel like he just fought (too soon), and I’ve been there. When I fought Paul Felder and then I fought Dustin Poirier kind of back-to-back and then rushed into the Michael Chandler fight. It’s not like Michael Chandler did anything that was lightening incredible. You need to learn that as a veteran fighter, and there’s only one way to learn it, and that’s the hard way.

“The body can only take so much punishment before it needs time to fully recoup. Especially if you’re fighting these five-round fights, you need to be putting a good amount of stretch, and it takes longer to recover from a five round fight. Especially what Volkanovski has been going through, five-round championship training camps, and just putting them so consistently. He has been one of the most consistent champions for the UFC. Stepping up to the plate, fighting, jumping in on short notice. Like, he just needed a bit more time between these fights to let his body fully recover.”

man and and still the champ, I can’t wait to be there.”

With Topuria relinquishing his featherweight title, Volkanovski will battle Diego Lopes (26-6 MMA, 5-1 UFC) for the vacant belt in the UFC 314 main event (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN/Disney+, ESPN+) April 12 from Kaseya Center in Miami.

Hooker will be there to support his City Kickboxing teammate.

“Yeah, I’m going over,” Hooker said. “I’m pretty sure Israel’s (Adesanya) going over, and we’ll just head over and obviously support Alexander Volkanovski. What is it? 10 consecutive title fights in a row. Tough, young competitor against Lopes.

“It’s going to be one heck of a fight, and I can’t wait to be sitting cage slide and just soaking it up. To get back after these two hard fights, the toughest time in his career, and to not only get through that, but to be on the other side of it and to be able to raise that title again and and prove that he’s still the

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 314.