Despite the sensational win at UFC 308 and becoming the first man to knockout Max Holloway in the UFC, featherweight champion Ilia Topuria hasn’t moved an inch in the pound-for-pound rankings!
The 27-year-old remains fourth in the UFC men’s pound-for-pound list with the lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev, Alex ‘Poatan’ Pereira, and Jon Jones all ahead of him.
The most surprising element of this ranking loss is having Jones who fought his last in March of last year ranked third, above the Spaniard who defended his belt twice this year! On top of that, Israel Adesanya who suffered two back-to-back losses has improved his position in the ranking.
Go figure!
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Regardless, Topuria doesn’t seem too bothered.
After the heavy-handed win against Holloway, his statement about fighting Islam Makhachev for the lightweight title seems to have gained a lot more credibility. Even Alexander Volkanovksi, having fought both fighters, has everyone believing the Spaniard to be the mythical fighter who can get the job done.
Volk willing to gamble on El Matador
Topuria has been angling for that second title for a while now. And for the longest time, it has seemed like a pipe dream. While no one questioned his abilities, it seemed a bit too much to take on a Dagestani wrestler who could outstrike Dustin Poirier.
Would that be a misadventure, a jump too far? Normally, yes. Why would you want to fight Superman on a yellow sun? Makes no sense.
But featherweight legend Alexander Volkanovski is willing to bet his rascals hat on the Spanish stead.
Having shared the cage with both the Russian and the Spaniard, Volk shared his thoughts with Ariel Helwani and claimed that Topuria could absolutely knock out the Dagestani Baba Yaga.
Volk doubled down and asserted that Topuria’s technical abilities and power meant he could ‘sleep’ anyone in the featherweight and lightweight divisions.
The Aussie has time and again said that the only way guys like Makhachev lose is if they get caught (by a shot) but who can do the catching? “Guys like Ilia“, Volk claims.
“He could go out there and land. That’s his only chance. Going out there and submitting and controlling Islam is very unlikely. But Ilia could definitely catch him; you can never count him out.”
Topuria, however, has claimed that he could submit Makhachev. In fact, he wants to be the first one to do so.
However, the Dagestani champion’s striking coach, Javier Mendez believes it would be foolish to try, just like it would be foolish for Makhachev to go out there and box with Topuria.
But this is still a long shot at best. Makhachev is likely to face Arman Tsarukyan when he returns to the octagon. Then there’s the fight between Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler, the winner of which is expected to fight for the lightweight title.
Topuria will also have his hands full once he returns to camp and prepares for a rematch with Volkanovski himself.
