Ilia Topuria has quickly risen to prominence in the UFC, achieving the rare feat of becoming a two-division champion and solidifying himself as one of the sport`s biggest stars.
At UFC 317, ‘El Matador’ secured a title in a second weight category by claiming the vacant lightweight championship, having previously held and vacated the featherweight belt.
Following Topuria`s knockout victory over Charles Oliveira (as stated in the original article), fans are debating whether his current streak ranks among the greatest in UFC history.
While now holding the top pound-for-pound ranking, some observers believe Topuria`s achievements already place him in contention as one of the sport`s all-time greats.
His dominant performance recently drew praise from the biggest name in the sport`s history, Conor McGregor, who commented on Topuria`s victory.
Eddie Alvarez Ranks Ilia Topuria Above Conor McGregor Among UFC`s Two-Division Kings
In a recent discussion with Mike Bohn of MMA Junkie, former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez compiled his list of the top 10 fighters to have captured titles in multiple weight divisions.
Alvarez himself lost his 155-pound championship to Conor McGregor at UFC 205, a fight where McGregor made history as the first fighter to hold two UFC belts simultaneously.
Despite McGregor`s historic achievement and impressive performances, Alvarez placed his former foe at #8 on his list, citing a lack of sustained success as a key factor.
Alvarez explained his reasoning: “For me, I`m heavily biased towards longevity. True greatness involves maintaining high performance for a significant period. That consistency is a major part of my criteria… To me, that`s the real measure.”
Moving up his list, Alvarez ranked Ilia Topuria just ahead of McGregor, at #7.
While expressing admiration for `El Matador` and acknowledging his phenomenal recent form, Alvarez couldn`t rank Topuria higher due to the uncertainty surrounding his long-term ability to maintain this level of success.
He elaborated, “The list of opponents he`s defeated – these are all-time greats he`s beaten consecutively. But I simply need to see more; a longer duration of success. I want to see a few more years of greatness before definitively ranking him higher. It`s difficult to assess him definitively right now because his run is so fresh. Some might rank him number one just because his last fight was so recent.”
Jon Jones Tops Eddie Alvarez`s List of Two-Division Champions
Claiming the top position on Eddie Alvarez`s ranking of the greatest UFC two-division champions was none other than Jon Jones, often regarded as the sport`s GOAT (Greatest Of All Time).
While Jon Jones` heavyweight tenure might be seen as less dominant by some, longevity was a crucial factor for `The Underground King` in compiling his rankings.
As the youngest champion in UFC history, who has never lost a title belt via a defeat inside the Octagon, Jones` remarkable longevity and sustained success make a strong case in this regard.
Alvarez stated that he was able to disregard the controversies surrounding Jones when evaluating his unparalleled in-cage achievements.
He concluded, “Regardless of our personal alignment, greatness in competition speaks for itself… Similar to Ilia`s recent wins, what Jones has accomplished against top-tier opponents, the manner in which he`s defeated them, and the duration over which he`s done it—I believe that`s simply beyond debate.”
