Summary
Topuria celebrates her UFC victory. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram/UFC
Behind only Islam Makhachev in the Ultimate's pound-for-pound ranking, Ilia Topuria will return to the world's most famous octagon in less than two months at the highly anticipated UFC Casa Branca to unify the lightweight belt (up to 70,3 kg) with Justin Gaethje in the main event. Despite the time away from the sport, 'El Matador' continues to be seen as one of the best in the world by other important names in the sport, such as Demetrious Johnson and Michael Bisping . Both spoke about the subject during their participation in the 'JAXXON' podcast, this Thursday (16).
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According to the former flyweight champion (up to 56,7 kg) and record holder for successful title defenses in the organization's history, the Georgian/Spanish fighter's striking skills stand out not only when compared to current athletes, but across all eras of MMA.
“ Ilia Topuria is probably one of the most technically skilled athletes I’ve ever seen in MMA. Everything he does is strategic. His timing when he boxes… he’s probably one of the most technically solid athletes I’ve ever seen,” Johnson stated.
Mighty Mouse & Michael Bisping : “ Ilia Topuria Is the Most Complete Athlete on the Roster” 🥊🔬
DJ Topuria's rhythm, stating, “Everything he does is strategic. His cadence of rhythm when he boxes… it's probably one of the most technically sound athletes I've seen.”
Bisping the… pic.twitter.com/gU75fvtAtP
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) April 16, 2026
In addition to agreeing with DJ, Bisping also made a point of highlighting Ilia's fluid movement and precise strikes, noting his recent knockout victories against Alexander Volkanovski , Max Holloway , and Charles Oliveira .
“There’s no signaling, no opening… the timing is ridiculous. Combine that with the power… one punch is really all it takes,” said the former middleweight champion (up to 83,9 kg) and current Ultimate commentator.
Legends also saw Topuria as the favorite at UFC Casa Branca.
Ilia Topuria is the lightweight champion. Photo: Reproduction/UFC
In addition to praising the fighter, Bisping and Johnson didn't mince words when commenting on their opinions about the main UFC fight at the White House. According to Mighty Mouse, the styles of both athletes tend to favor the undisputed champion.
“He (Gaethje) will sit down and study everything that Topuria does well, which is everything, and try to figure out where he can challenge him. I'm rolling the dice, but if I had to choose, I'd say Topuria will win by knockout, because that's what he does,” he said.
Despite expressing respect for Justin Gaethje , the Briton also acknowledged that it's highly likely the European will spoil the party for the American.
“You can’t underestimate this guy ( Justin Gaethje ). Did he take some hits against Paddy (Pimblett)? Yes. That’s worrying considering Ilia’s accuracy, but I’m not going to say he’s not capable of winning. However, remembering the fight against Max Holloway , in which he was knocked out, it’s easy to choose Topuria as the favorite,” added the Hall of Famer.
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