All week long, Ilia Topuria predicted a first-round knockout against Alexander Volkanovski.
He didn't make good on that promise but did unleash a devastating short right hand to knock Volkanovski out cold in the second round and become the new featherweight world champion at UFC 298 inside the Honda Center in Anaheim, California on Saturday night.
After a competitive first round, Topuria closed the distance with a four-punch combination that had him connect with a shot to the ribs and a compact left hand, while grazing Volkanovski with the other two punches. But after that barrage, Topuria unleashed a scintillating short right hand across the jaw that crumbled Volkanovski immediately to end the greatest featherweight champion's reign right then and there. Topuria added a couple of hammerfists for good measure, but didn't need them as Volk was out from the right hand.
"Cold, cold," Topuria told Joe Rogan about the knockout shot.
With the victory, Topuria improves to 15-0 and ushers in a new era as featherweight king as Volkanovski had previously defended the title five times in a dominant reign.
The composed confidence that the 27-year-old Topuria showed all week came to fruition in a major statement made to put the featherweight division on notice.
Meanwhile, the 35-year-old Volkanovski (26-4) has now suffered through vicious knockout losses in back-to-back fights.
Here's how the entire UFC 298 main card pay-per-view went.