Featherweight champion Ilia Topuria has long claimed that he would become the first man to KO Max Holloway, and submit UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhahev. To his credit, that first prediction already came true at UFC 308. But now, it’s time to level up and pay the piper.
Topuria does have a great ground game, but according to Makhachev’s coach Javier Mendez, he hasn’t been tested by the men forged in the fires of Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov’s camp.
“You come into Dagestan and you submit everybody there then we can talk. But if you’re doing it at home, you’re not doing it with the beasts out of Abdulmanap’s gym, then I don’t know.”
Earlier Topuria’s head coach Jorge Climent had backed the Spaniard’s claims about his wrestling game and asserted that he had submitted everyone he’s trained with in the gym.
As commendable as that is, Mendez is right, it’s not enough. Neither Islam, nor Umar at bantamweight, nor Khabib before them have been left their opponents in the game, let alone dominate it. While Umar is still expected to get better with time, Islam was only ever tested when he tried to strike with Dustin Poirier and got pieced up a bit.
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But again, he pulled a couple of rabbits out of hats in the 5th rounds against ‘The Diamond’ at UFC 302, which he had never seen before.
While it looks all the same to the naked eye, there are levels to this game and Topuria will need to do more than beat up guys at his gym before he decides to officially challenge Makhachev for the title.
But since he has been calling out Makhachev for quite some time, it doesn’t look like that will be the case.
Islam would suffer, claims Topuria
El Matador is so brash and confident, it almost seems like he was modeled by Rodane himself, based on the mythological descriptions of what prime Conor McGregor would have looked like. So, it doesn’t really surprise anyone when he says the most outlandish things.
In an interview with Alvaro Colmenero, the Spaniard claimed that he had the style to defeat Makhachev and the UFC lightweight champion knew it.
“Even if it seems like a very difficult fight, I would make Islam suffer a lot. Too much.”
Unfortunately, it seems Topuria remains alone with this opinion. While his striking is far beyond Makhachev at this point, the Dagestani is no amateur. He, after all, did outstrike Dustin Poirier at UFC 302.
And as far as the ground game is concerned, even his fellow featherweight and UFC legend, Alexader Volkanovski doesn’t see him submitting Makhachev. KO, sure!
Volk believes Topuria has the power and skills to shut anyone’s lights out but having fought Makhachev himself, the Aussie knows trying to go to the ground with the Dagestani might be too bitter of a pill to chew.
Regardless, it would be premature to assume that if this match-up ever actualizes, the Spaniard won’t go for it.
