Ilia Topuria has become one of the biggest stars in the UFC after his remarkable turnout to become a double UFC champion.
On UFC 317, 'El Matador' achieved success in a second weight class by winning the empty lightweight title after leaving his featherweight belt.
Topuria's knockout about Charles Oliveira has led fans to wonder if his recent run is the best in UFC history.
Topuria is now arranged as the best pound-for-pound hunter in the sport, but some believe that he might be already in the conversation as one of the greats of all time.
His performance on Saturday evening even caught the attention of the greatest star in the history of sport, with Conor McGregor his thoughts about the victory of Topuria.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Eddie Alvarez arranges Ilia Topuria a place higher than Conor McGregor on the list of UFC's Two-Division Champions
In a recent video with MMA Junkie's Mike Bohn, former UFC Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez was given the task of ranking the 10 hunters that have kept titles in multiple weight classes.
Alvarez lost his 155 pound belt on UFC 205, where he was stopped by Conor McGregor with the Irishman who wrote history as the very first two-weight champion.
Nevertheless, and his remarkable versions to win both belts, Alvarez does not believe that his former opponent has a long lifespan by his side, which means that he has arranged him on the list on #8.
“For me I am so in favor of biased time. To do great things, you have to do them for a while. That is a real greatness and that is a large part of my criteria … For me that is it true figure.”
In his next selection, Alvarez Ilia Topuria had one place above McGregor at #7.
Although he is a big fan of 'El Matador' and recognizing the spectacular run he has been, the former UFC champion Topuria could also not raise because we do not know if he can maintain this success in the coming years.
“The list of boys he has defeated, I mean, these are all time that he has been beaten, but I just want to see more. I want to see a longer time, that's all. I just want to see a few years great and then we can see him. He is just so hard to mark, he is just so brand new.
Eddie Alvarez arranges Jon Jones as the best UFC Two-Division Champion
The first place on the list of Eddie Alvarez for the largest UFC Tweedivisiekampioenen was the man who consider many as the goat, Jon Jones.
Although some would claim that Jones' heavyweight run was overwhelming, the lifespan was a hugely important criterion for 'The Underground King' when he compiled his list.
If the youngest UFC champion of all time, who has never lost a title by being defeated in the Octagon, it is difficult to argue against 'Bones' in this specific area.
Alvarez said that he is able to recognize all the controversies that Jones have surrounded in recognizing his unparalleled performance.
“Regardless of how he and I connect like people, it doesn't matter. If you are great, you are great … a bit like Ilia, to do what he did against the best, to steer them as he did and for the period that he did it, I think it didn't even argue.”