Alexander Volkanovski and Ilia Topuria crossed paths at UFC White House media day and agreed to work on a collaboration together. The joint project, described as a cooking venture, would reunite the former featherweight champion and his title-winning successor outside the Octagon.
Alexander Volkanovski and Ilia Topuria crossed paths at the UFC White House media day and left with plans to team up on a project well removed from anything involving a cage. The two featherweight rivals have agreed to collaborate on a cooking venture, bringing together the man who held the featherweight title and the fighter who took it from him.
Topuria, 29, has risen to the top of the pound-for-pound rankings following his title-winning run. Now competing at lightweight and ranked second in that division, the Spain-based Georgian carries a 17-1-0 record and operates with a striking output of 4.81 significant strikes per minute at 48 percent accuracy. He also averages nearly two takedowns per 15 minutes, making him a genuine threat across multiple phases of a fight.
Volkanovski, 37, returns as the current featherweight champion with a career record of 28-4-0 and holds the number three spot in the pound-for-pound rankings. The Australian out of Freestyle Fighting Gym is one of the more prolific strikers in the sport, landing nearly six significant strikes per minute at an impressive 57 percent accuracy. His 71-inch reach, notable for his five-foot-six frame, has long been considered a tactical advantage in the featherweight division.
Why it matters
- The pairing reunites two of the UFC's biggest names from the same weight class in an unexpected off-Octagon setting
- Topuria's move to lightweight and Volkanovski's continued presence at featherweight means the two are no longer direct divisional rivals
- The cooking collaboration adds to a growing trend of fighters building personal brands outside of competition
