Ilia Topuria poses with two UFC belts after victory against Charles of the Bronx. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram.
Undefeated in professional MMA, ranked first in the pound-for-pound rankings and holder of two UFC belts at the age of 28, Ilia Topuria is at the peak of his career. Still, Khabib Nurmagomedov believes the Spanish-Georgian's reign may be coming to an end soon. For the former lightweight champion, Arman Tsarukyan is the name capable of dethroning the current absolute leader of the organization.
In an interview with Kamil Gadzhiyev, the MMA legend stated that the current champion would have little chance against the Russian-Armenian. According to Khabib, Arman's style poses a major challenge for 'El Matador,' especially due to his ability to combine wrestling and grappling against opponents who are predominantly strikers.
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"I don't see any chance for Topuria. A strong punch won't do any good. Arman fights well from distance against strikers. He maintains distance well, works better with his feet, and is very good. He already has material to watch and study. If this were three fights ago, he might not have been able to do it, but now he knows what to expect from Topuria. I think the best lightweight right now is Tsarukyan. Arman can take him down. He has very good elbows on the ground. He can wrestle, grab the arm, and take the back. He wouldn't fight at dangerous range with Topuria," he analyzed.
In Khabib's opinion, in a potential duel, Tsarukyan would be a considerable favorite. According to the former champion, Topuria has yet to be tested against a high-level wrestler and has faced favorable matchups throughout his career in the organization.
"I'd say it's an 80-20 advantage for Arman. Wrestling always dominates these types of matches. We all know the level of wrestling Charles and Holloway have. It's practically non-existent. Topuria only faces strikers. Volkanovski doesn't wrestle. Which wrestler did he fight?"
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