Following his impressive knockout victory at UFC 317, Ilia Topuria is being discussed among the elite fighters in the sport.
After a successful but brief reign as featherweight champion, Topuria decided to relinquish the belt and move up to the lightweight division.
His return to the lightweight division was the main event of UFC 317 last Saturday, where he secured a knockout win over Charles Oliveira, positioning himself as a top contender for the 155-pound title currently held by Islam Makhachev.
Naturally, comparisons are being made between `El Matador` and other fighters who have achieved success in both divisions, such as Conor McGregor.
However, a recent analysis considered a different hypothetical bout.
Laura Sanko Analyzes a Hypothetical Fight: Prime Ilia Topuria vs Prime Khabib Nurmagomedov
Appearing on Submission Radio, commentator and analyst Laura Sanko, a former fighter herself, shared her thoughts on how Topuria might perform against Khabib Nurmagomedov, widely considered the greatest lightweight of all time, if they were both in their primes.
Sanko acknowledged that while she hasn`t seen enough of Topuria`s ground game to be confident he could handle Nurmagomedov`s formidable wrestling, she surprisingly suggested that Topuria possesses the tools to potentially become the first fighter to knock out the undefeated former champion (29-0).
“Ilia`s boxing is far too dangerous,” Sanko stated. “In this hypothetical scenario, the only realistic path to victory for Khabib would undoubtedly be on the ground.”
She continued, “We haven`t truly seen Ilia`s ground skills challenged by top-level grapplers. While he recently faced Charles Oliveira, known as one of the greatest submission artists ever, their fight was too brief – only about 45 seconds on the ground – to draw definitive conclusions.”
“I`m unsure if we know enough about Ilia`s ability to get back up from the ground,” she added, recalling moments in his fight against Bryce Mitchell where Mitchell had top control and Topuria appeared somewhat contained.
“Therefore, I believe the ground game is Khabib`s sole route to victory in this matchup,” Sanko concluded. “However, I can also envision a scenario where Khabib attempts a poorly timed takedown from too far away and gets knocked out.”
Ilia Topuria Not Currently Pursuing Khabib Nurmagomedov`s Protégé
While a fight against the retired Nurmagomedov (who retired nearly five years ago) remains purely speculative, Topuria could potentially face a fighter with a similar style in the future.
After giving up his featherweight belt, Topuria initially expressed interest in challenging Islam Makhachev, Nurmagomedov`s close friend and training partner. However, that lightweight matchup didn`t materialize as Makhachev also pursued becoming a two-division champion.
Despite hints from `El Matador` about potentially aiming for a third title in a different weight class, Topuria has reportedly agreed to the UFC`s request to remain in the lightweight division for now.
“I`ve considered it,” Topuria stated on the UFC`s About Last Fight show, “but in my last conversation with the UFC, they specifically asked me, `Please don`t tell us after your fight that you want to move to the welterweight division. Promise us.`”
However, it`s uncertain how long this promise will hold, particularly if Makhachev successfully captures a second title himself.
“I was like, `Ah, I promise,` ” Topuria added humorously, crossing his fingers as he said it.
