Ilia Topuria is the new UFC 298 featherweight champion after taking down Alexander Volkanovski in the second round of their highly anticipated showdown in Anaheim, California. Sure enough, it sent shockwaves throughout the sports world, especially with Volkanovski coming in as the odds-on favorite to reign supreme.

A crushing Topuria right hand after three minutes and 32 seconds in the second round put Volkanovski to sleep, ending what would have been his sixth title defense that would have also put him on level with some all-time greats. Volkanovski started off well, but Topuria's aggressiveness proved to be too much for the 35-year-old fighter.

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Unsurprisingly, Ilia Topuria got plenty of well-deserved praises as a result. Alexander Volkanovski is one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world today, and despite his age, he has successfully defended a number of titles in his career. And so for Topuria to dominate like he did was definitely impressive.

“Topuria did a great job at backing up Volkanoski despite his high volume of kick. … Important to note that Topuria caught Volk as he switched stance and was out of balance, volk ended up firing back as his stance was square. Topuria waited for the perfect shot and he found it. Amazing work,” a fan analyzed.

Another supporter said, “Ilia Topuria knew this all week. Confident, not cocky. He knew that this would happen. CRAZY.”

“Think about the Championship lineage of the Featherweight division. Jose Aldo, Conor McGregor, Max Holloway, and Alex Volkanovski. You have to be a real special person to join that class. Ilia Topuria is now a part of that lineage,” a third fan shared.

Here are some more of the best reactions to Topuria's win:

Topuria, indeed, didn't leave any doubt that he deserves to be the new UFC 298 featherweight champion.