It seems that not everyone is impressed by the boxing skills that have helped to guide Ilia Topuria to two-division title glory in the UFC.
Topuria hit Alexander Volkanovski to reach the throne in featherweight before defending it against Max Holloway. That was the story of the short regime of the Spaniard on £ 145.
At UFC 317, Topuria fought against Charles Oliveira for the lightweight title, which Islam Makhachev left this year before his welterweight movement.
As he had promised, Topuria Oliveira took out in one round and again showed vicious and powerful boxing to make an enemy unconscious.
'El Matador' has long been in the conversation as one of the best boxers of the UFC, and the result of Saturday strengthened his claim in the first place in the eyes of many alone.
But not this man …
Manel Kape claims to be a better boxer than Ilia Topuria
A man who does not recognize Topuria as the best boxer of the UFC is flying weight competition Manel Kape.
In a post on X now deleted prior to the UFC 317 Main Event, Kape refused to count Oliveira while he claimed those who claim the boxing of Topuria to be rejected 'elite'.
After that, the suggestion of some fans of whom the one wrote: “Not an elite boxer is the wildest s-I have ever heard in my life”-the Portuguese hunter born in Angola doubled.
“You can rank it (Topuria) as number 2 or 3, that's fair. But when it's number 1, I am,” Kape wrote. “No comparison, I work at a different level about boxing for MMA & Boxing. But this is not a conversation for fanatics, it is one for those who really understand the game.”
You can rank it as number 2 or 3, that's fair. But when it comes to number 1, I am. No comparison, I work at a different level about boxing for MMA and Boxing. But this is not a conversation for fanatics, it is one for those who really understand the game. https://t.co/elem34dpuw
– Manel Kape (@manelkape) June 29, 2025
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Kape continued to defend his position in a follow -up post and claimed that no bias influenced his assessment.
“I will arrange this debate about 'the best boxer in the UFC' with my personal ranking, no fanaticism, no favoritism, only a well -analyzed perspective.”
I will arrange this debate about 'The best boxer in the UFC' with my personal ranking, no fanaticism, no favoritism, only a well -analyzed perspective.
– Manel Kape (@manelkape) June 29, 2025
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Manel Kape missed a great chance of Ilia Topuria-Headlined UFC 317 card
While the night on June 28 went to Topuria, Alexandre Pantoja and Joshua, Kape was originally planned to have his own chance to leave a stamp.
Before being drawn up in the short term and probably earned his title shot in a battle of the annual band against Royval, 'Starboy' withdrew from his planned collision with 'Raw Dawg'.
With that, KARE now has 11 canceled fight dates in the UFC, which is more than it actually has in the Octagon (9).
Those problems achieving the cage, both because of the withdrawals of him and against the opponents, have prevented Kape from being able to challenge a UFC title. And he apparently has more work to do after Van de Lijn jumped in a emphatic way at UFC 317.