Ilia Topuria is seen as the best pound-for-pound hunter on the planet.
It will be extremely difficult to doubt the newly crowned UFC Lightweight Champion on this current run. In his last three fights, Topuria beat the current title holders Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway at Featherweight and former champion Charles Oliveira at lightweight.
Topuria would have a 'larger' run than its predecessor Conor McGregor after recording his second world title in the main event of UFC 317 with a deafening Ko from Oliveira.
Currently ranked #3 in the pound-for-pound ranks from Monday, Topuria is not that far from the throne of Islam Makhachev in the #1 place.
Topuria may not have the song next to his name, but 'El Matador' is already #1 in the eyes of a former pound-for-pound king.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Kamaru Usman Awards Ilia Topuria Pond-For-Pond Status
A few days away from the seventeenth-right victory of Topuria over Oliveira, Kamaru Usman, one of the greatest champions of all time, is to the conclusion that Topuria is the best hunter in the world.
“I give Ilia Topuria pound-for-pound,” said Usman on the podcast of 4 pounds.
“I have thought about it since I saw that fight.
“We had a similar situation like this when Alex Pereira did what he did. But there is a difference here. Alex Pereira did not necessarily do that against the caliber Ilia who does that.
“Not only necessarily that, not only the caliber, but everything he puts in this fight. I mean, Ilia Topuria dominated Charles Oliveira in every facet of the game,” Usman continued.
“Charles went to his wheelhouse. He went to the ground. Ilia Topuria passed his guard and crossed him …
“Who has shown all the skills, all facets of the game, and he still has them with his hands, Mano Y Mano [both hands]they store? “Said Usman.
Ilia Topuria has 'three -headed race' after UFC 317
We have not received any answers about who the next one is in line for Ilia Topuria on UFC 317.
9-1 In his last 10 fights and from victories over Oliveira and Beneil Dariush, #1 competition Arman Tsarukyan has a pretty solid thing for a title shot against Topuria.
The same could be said for the #3-ranked Justin Gaethje, because the former interim champion for the second time at UFC 313 for a second time Rafael Fiziev and Dustin Poirier pulled out to win the BMF title in 2023.
Of course there is also the #8-ranged paddy Pimblett, which was confronted with Topuria in the Octagon on UFC 317. Unbeaten in the UFC, Pimblett Tko'ed former Bellator champion Michael Chandler on UFC 314 in April.
“It's a three-headed race between those boys,” said former UFC champion Aljamain Sterling about the next opponent of Topuria on his YouTube channel.
Who will then fight Ilia Topuria?