Former champion says Ilia Topuria is above Jon Jones as the best UFC fighter today

Ilia Topuria is the UFC featherweight champion. Photo: Instagram / UFC

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After living the best year of his career, Ilia Topuria continues to impress several personalities in the world of MMA. Even though he is ranked fourth in the UFC pound-for-pound rankings, there are still those who believe that the current featherweight champion (up to 65,7 kg) deserves an even higher position.

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In an interview with the North American podcast JAXXON, hosted by the former fighter Quinton jackson, TJ Dillashaw, who was the bantamweight champion (61,2 kg.) on two occasions, argued that the Georgian/Spanish fighter is the best fighter in the organization today.

“I think Topuria is the best fighter in the UFC right now. He’s not better than Jon Jones on the resume, but based on your skills, yes,” Dillashaw said last week.

TJ Dillashaw at the entrance to the UFC Octagon. Photo: Reproduction/UFC

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At just 27 years old, Ilia Topuria is undefeated as a professional, with a record of 16 wins and only two of them by decision. In recent history, he has won by knockout against Alexander Volkanovsky e Max Holloway, two of the best fighters in the history of the category.

TJ Dillashaw speculated how he would face Ilia Topuria

When asked about the ideal strategy to beat Topuria, Dillashaw made it clear that the match would be one of the most difficult in his career, but brought up interesting points when analyzing El Matador.

“It would be a tough fight, man. He’s a rocket. I would have to use what I expected Holloway to do, use a few more angles. Never get in front of the guy. He’s fast, his boxing is crisp. I would try to get off his shoulders and try to change my stance. I would definitely use my kicks a lot more. Yeah, he can block kicks, but that keeps him at a distance. I would say his striking is more dangerous, but his grappling is also great,” said the former fighter.

T. Dillashaw was bantamweight champion on two occasions. Photo: Reproduction/FacebookUFC