One of Ilia Topuria's most brutal finishes so far did not come as a surprise for the then future UFC -Fedweight champion.
At the moment 'El Matador' has a perfect 16-0 record and with a threatening opportunity to reach Tweedivisie Glorie on the largest stage of mixed martial arts.
Topuria will fight against Charles Oliveira in the main event of UFC 317 on 28 June. The pair is fighting for the lightweight title that is abandoned by Islam Makhachev.
After confirming his lightweight return fight, the 28-year-old former featherweight Kingpin looked ahead to his next game. Topuria promises to complete Oliveira during the International Vecht Week in Las Vegas.
And when it comes to making his predictions, Topuria certainly has a track record.
Photo by Louis Grasse/Pximages/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Ilia Topuria made up for his promise to 'break' the face of Ryan Hall on UFC 264
Topuria has many violent moments at his Octagon -Height Point Reel, and one of the most malignant was his knockout from Grappling Specialist Ryan Hall.
The couple gathered on the UFC 264 undercard, a controversial event that was supplied by Conor McGregor's Trilogy Fight against Dustin Poirier.
In the run -up, Topuria spoke with UFC.com and rejected any concern about the unique style of Hall. 'El Matador' predicted that he would avoid surprises and 'break' the face of the American.
“In every fight I have different game plans. For example, if you are going to fight against someone and you know that you have to strike with him and have a stand -up fight, the mentality is a bit different. If you are going to fight someone you know you have to bring it down and grab it, it is different.
“You are going to see a very, very aggressive Ilia Topuria and you will see how I will hit his face.
“I don't think I will be surprised with everything he is going to do.”
That is exactly what happened on Fight Night on UFC 264, with Topuria that remains calm in the midst of Hall's attempts to pull the guard and roll in legs.
The Georgian-Spaniard met that Jiu-Jitsu approach with an attack of bumps that left 'The Wizard' unconscious.
Ilia Topurias Legendary UFC -Run since beating Ryan Hall
Topuria has not looked back since his emphatic performance against Hall.
The next five fights of the 28-year-old have seen him record four Finishes, become a UFC champion and defend a title.
After a highlight, a few remarkable contenders wins in Bryce Mitchell and Josh Emmett, the custom of Topuria to predict his results.
The victims of his next Ko Picks were Alexander Volkanovski (to win the featherweight belt in February 2024) and Max Holloway (to defend the gold in October 2024).
Results optic hodelevinmax hollowaykoufc 308winalexander Volkanovskikoufc 298winjosh EmmettDecisionufc Jacksonvillewinbryce MitchellSubmissionufc 282winjai Herbertkoufc London
'Mystic' Topuria will now try to send Oliveira to a similar fate on UFC 317 to become a member of the exclusive club of two -division champions in the leading promotion of MMA.