Conor McGregor’s KO of Jose Aldo in 13 seconds helped establish his legend in MMA. He then furthered it by butchering the likes of Chad Mendes and Eddie Alvarez. But ‘Suga’ Sean O’Malley’s coach Tim Welch believes after his KO of Max Holloway at UFC 308, Ilia Topuria has surpassed him as the most devastating KO artist in the promotion. Well, at least in the featherweight division.
Speaking to Submission Radio, Welch compared the reigns of ‘The Notorious’ and Topuria at featherweight. The Irishman never hung around at 145 lbs long enough to defend his title. So, it doesn’t come as a surprise that Welch has picked ‘El Matador‘, especially after the Holloway fight.
“Conor, he cracked Jose Aldo. Man… that’s still a tough one, that’s still a tough one… But I do believe Ilia Topuria right now is just like man, he’s just so so so solid.”
He does have a point. Aldo, while skillful, hasn’t really been known for his chin. Holloway, on the other hand, had never been KOed before.
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While McGregor got the best of the Hawaiian via a decision win in 2013 Topuria finished the game in the second round itself – a feat neither Conor McGregor nor a dangerous boxer like Dustin Poirier could pull off.
Topuria is on a roll right now and if the stars are aligned, he could actually fight McGregor and put all the theories to the test.
And while that will be a night to remember, if it ever does come to pass, no tears will be shed, not anything like they will be if Holloway takes on Poirier in the latter’s retirement fight.
Holloway vs. Poirier III
Poirier has already gotten the better of Holloway twice. So, technically this should not be a debate. The first time they fought, the Hawaiian was the youngest fighter on the UFC roster and was replacing Ricardo Lamas, who was originally supposed to fight the Louisiana native. Holloway lost via submission.
The second time they fought, it was for the interim lightweight championship and the two just duked it out for five straight rounds after which the judges awarded the decision to Poirier.
Cut to 2024, Poirier is likely never going to fight for the title again at lightweight. Holloway, on the other hand, could move up to lightweight and try his luck at Islam Makhachev’s title but he will need to win a few fights.
Besides, after the UFC 308 main event, the Hawaiian was asked about putting the BMF title on the line against Poirier and he was happy to oblige. In all honestly, this would be a great evenly matched fight. Both are legends of the game and are known to put out absolute bangers.
So, if Holloway is to be Poirier’s swan song, win or lose, it would be a great way to go.
