Aleksandre Topuria officially has a new opponent for his upcoming bout at UFC 312, however, the resulting pairing may mean more to each fighter’s camps than just to themselves.
Aleksandre Topuria looks to share a familial championship reign with his brother
Originally scheduled to face Cody Haddon in two weeks, Aleksandre Topuria (5-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) will now contend with undefeated Australian prospect Colby Thicknesse at UFC 312 in the Aussie’s own backyard of Sydney, New South Wales. The recent fight shakeup comes after Haddon posted via Instagram that he would not be able to make the date after injuring his foot in training.
Brother of famed UFC Featherweight Champion Ilia Topuria, Aleksandre’s debut comes with much anticipation, as the Spanish bantamweight boasts a stellar one-hundred percent finishing rate across his five victories. Eager to see if he can vault himself to the top of the sport like his brother has done, mixed martial arts fans eagerly await to see the first walk to the cage from the elder Topuria.
Colby Thicknesse Remains Unchallenged In Professional Career
At only 25 years of age, Thicknesse (7-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) has already garnered quite the dearth of experience fighting on the Australian and Indonesian regional scenes, amassing a squeaky-clean 7-0 professional record. This comes after a rip-roaring amateur stint, where he went 8-1, capturing two separate titles at both bantamweight and featherweight.
In just his most recent contest, “Slickness” added even more to his championship legacy by scoring the IMMAF 145-lb tournament after winning his first two matches. Stepping into the largest mixed martial arts promotion in the world, Thicknesse now has the opportunity to test his skills against some of the top fighters in the business.
Aleksandre Topuria vs. Colby Thicknesse Also Bout Between Two Top UFC Featherweights
Although their match at UFC 312 will be solely about them, Aleksandre Topuria and Colby Thicknesse will be backed by two featherweight titans in Topuria’s younger brother, Ilia, and former 145-lb champion Alexander Volkanovski.
Fighting out of Climent Club, Aleksandre Topuria has been by his brother’s side for every step of his combat sports career, and vice versa, especially during Ilia’s camps in his preparation for his title-winning performance over “The Great” last year.
On the other side, Thicknesse comes from the famed Australian Freestyle Fighting Gym, which is home to previous five-time defending 145-lb king Volkanovski. This means he has shared the mats with one of the best competitors to ever grace the UFC Octagon, as well as trained under reputable coach Joe Lopez.
While the reigning featherweight champion is expected to square off with Volkanovski in a speculated rematch at UFC 314 (says Bo Nickal), their teammates clash at UFC 312 will serve as a sort of secondary battle between them.
Though a win for either man does nothing for their own records, there is no doubt that Topuria and Volkanovski will be putting their all into preparing their fighter’s for victory as a means of getting one over on the other. Even Thicknesse appears onboard for getting revenge for his gymmate.