Poatan backstage at the UFC. Photo: Reproduction/Facebook/UFC
It's no secret that Ilia Topuria is an elite striker, whose strong point is boxing. In his last fight, held in June in Las Vegas (USA), the Georgian displayed his skill by knocking out Charles Oliveira in the first round to become the UFC lightweight champion (up to 70,3 kg). Being a specialist in the noble art of boxing in MMA, 'El Matador' was asked by YouTuber Adin Ross who the best boxers in the company are, and he didn't mince words.
A combat sports expert, Topuria didn't hesitate when listing his top 5 UFC fighters and mentioned Alex Poatan , the light heavyweight champion (up to 93 kg). And the choice of athlete makes sense, given that the Brazilian usually punishes and knocks out his opponents with the power of his punches, especially his left cross. As expected, the athlete included himself among the best.
See too
The surprise was Topuria leaving out Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier , considered by many to be two of the best boxers in the UFC. In any case, both the Georgian and Poatan have already expressed a desire to switch to boxing in the future.
“Currently, the five best boxers are Holloway, my brother ( Aleksandre Topuria ), Petr Yan , who also has good boxing, Alex. Yes, who else? Myself. To be honest, I don’t like to talk about these things. I like to fight and prove it,” said the UFC champion.
Topuria's next fight
Lightweight champion Ilia Topuria is expected to face interim champion Justin Gaethje at UFC Casa Branca , scheduled for June 14th. However, the Georgian fighter has made it clear that his desire is not to compete in the lightweight division, but rather to move up to welterweight (up to 77,1 kg) to challenge Islam Makhachev , his rival and the division's leader.
Exclusive: Michael PQD talks about his brutal UFC debut victory.
You need to log in to comment.