Overrated? Russian pirate attacks Ilia Topuria and questions the champion's trajectory.

Topuria is the UFC lightweight champion. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram/iliatopuria

Even away from the octagons, Ilia Topuria continues to be a name frequently mentioned not only in the specialized MMA media, but also by other fighters. In an interview with 'Meta MMA Plus' last Wednesday (11), Shara Magomedov questioned the achievements of the former featherweight champion (up to 65,7 kg) and current lightweight champion (up to 70,3 kg) in the world's largest MMA organization.

See too

UFC loudmouth loses his temper and suggests a theory about Tom Aspinall's injury: 'Gay!'

'New Anderson Silva' acknowledges problems fighting in the UFC: 'It's difficult to know the future'

UFC BJJ star defends Rodolfo Vieira and Marcus Buchecha's transition to MMA: 'They're doing well'

According to the Russian, even though Topuria is a talented athlete, his path to title fights was also made easier. He believes the Georgian/Spanish fighter faced athletes past their prime in both the featherweight (up to 65,7 kg) and lightweight (up to 70,3 kg) categories.

“He’s a good fighter in his own right, but if you analyze how he got to the belt, there were four or five fights against questionable opponents. And when he faced really serious fighters, they were already worn out. Charles Oliveira was worn out, I think. Max Holloway was a tough opponent, but he’s not the same as before. He’s suffered a lot of damage in his career and kind of slowed down. Alexander Volkanovski wasn’t at the same level as before either,” he stated.

Shara Bullet calls Ilia Topuria an overrated fighter and questions his path to the title… 👀

“He's a good fighter on his own, but if you look at how he got to the belt, there were four or five fights against questionable opponents. And when he fought really serious fighters,… pic.twitter.com/3yDi69CB9l

— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) February 12, 2026

Pirate's argument is based on the recent track record of the Georgian/Spanish fighter's opponents at the time of their fights. Alexander Volkanovski , for example, had been knocked out by Islam Makhachev in the first round a few months before the duel. Holloway, on the other hand, had never been taken down until facing the champion.

Topuria's career is currently on hiatus.

Ilia Topuria in a boxing ring. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram.

In total, Ilia Topuria has 17 wins in his professional record. Despite being recently crowned in the lightweight division (up to 70,3 kg), El Matador built his UFC career mostly as a featherweight (up to 65,7 kg). The victory in the latter category came after defeating Charles do Bronx in the main event of UFC 317 , in June of last year.

However, his career has recently suffered a setback. Due to personal problems related to a divorce from the mother of his children, the athlete announced a break to dedicate himself to the legal battle. In this context, Justin Gaethje was crowned the new interim champion. The unification is expected to take place in the first half of the year.

Exclusive: Michael PQD talks about his brutal UFC debut victory.