Does Ilia Topuria have star potential?

[Question]

Rosa only expressed interest in fighting Topuria, the fight wasn't booked. If it was though Rosa would've been handled badly.

Still wish it was Lerone Murphy, but he's booked now.
Maybe Jourdain?

 

[ChinaMMABlog]

Yes.

 

[Ace70 V2]

Absolutely.

Ko'ing Ryan Hall made a permanent place in my heart for him.

He's technical AND can bang.

Same. Wiped that confused look off his face too

 

[Rapa]

Will Topiuria be the one to break the Rosa curse of alternating wins and losses(Never winning or losing 2 straight in his UFC run)?
Charles Rosa's entire UFC record:

Maan topuria would destroy him

 

[Ian]

Absolutely.

Ko'ing Ryan Hall made a permanent place in my heart for him.

He's technical AND can bang.

I’m right there with ya. I loved his KO of Hall and will always root for him when he fights.

 

[DS66]

He's the best UFC fighter aged 25 or under. He's tremendously skilled in all aspects of MMA for a fighter his age. It's up to him whether he becomes a star- If he keeps winning and becomes an undefeated champ at like 26 years old, he absolutely will become a big star.

 

[fortheo]

I like Illia vs Cub, Burgos or Ige if any are willing to jump in as a replacement. He will smash them all.

Burgos can barley make weight with 12 weeks prep. No way in hell can he make FW on a week's notice.

I agree any of them would be fun fights though.

 

[xhaydenx]

Ilia, Joel Alvarez and, to a lesser extent, Juan Espino are the only representatives of Spanish mma that achieved success in the UFC and they all are quite well known around here.
Topuria gets a bit more attention due to his flashy persona and his social media activity. He's a good talker and understands the bussiness side of the sport. He is better known and regarded than Joel, who is Spanish born and has been around longer than him!

People seem to think that just because someone isn't a star in America then they're not a star anywhere, which is just untrue.

Chito is an example. He's got a bit of a following now in the UFC, but he's big back in his own country. That dude who got cut by the UFC for sneaking into a hotel and breaking covid rules is another. That guy was well known enough and connected back home that a few phone calls got him his UFC spot back.

I'd rather be a star in my native country than America.

 

[humdizzle]

Definitely has potential. seems to have a complete game and not afraid of anyones standup or grappling.

Name is a bit weird and doesn't roll off the tongue. and sounds like aliyah or alya which are female names. he needs a catchy nick name. 'el matador' is way too long.

 

[svmr_db]

 

[GOATtalks]

Leave it to UFC /WME to completely mess up promoting him, and bury him on the undercard of Greg Hardy vs Barry Horowitz

Yeah, because UFC is so bad at creating stars. Lol

 

[KBE6EKCTAH_CCP]

He should change his name because every time I think of a fish.

 

[HaulParris]

Yeah, because UFC is so bad at creating stars. Lol

They're not bad, they're just lazy. They throw all of their PR /marketing behind a few stars (Conor / Ronda / Brock) and do the bare minimum in promoting the other athletes on their roster. They seem to expect the fighters to win the fights AND do their own self-promotion. Very few fighters are actually good at self-promoting, so we end up with a bunch of cringe-worthy Chael/Conor copycats, and a bunch of talented fighters who don't have what it takes to self-promote. Just my 2 cents.
Cheers!

 

[jk7707]

Sucks, his fight vs Evloev fell through. But he's got champion potential. He's so well rounded and has the speed to offset any technical shortcomings he might have so far. Give him a year or so and I think he's fighting for the FW championship.

 

[Safton]

I think him and possibly Lerone Murphy are the best unranked prospects at 145. I'll be fairly shocked if both aren't inside the Top 10/Top 5 within the next few years barring any injuries or whatever.

 

[Kuggoz]

Why do people always assume that being ”multi-lingual” is a good thing for popularity let alone for being a superstar? I dont see the connection, more often its a bad thing due to not being as fluent in english.

 

[GOATtalks]

They're not bad, they're just lazy. They throw all of their PR /marketing behind a few stars (Conor / Ronda / Brock) and do the bare minimum in promoting the other athletes on their roster. They seem to expect the fighters to win the fights AND do their own self-promotion. Very few fighters are actually good at self-promoting, so we end up with a bunch of cringe-worthy Chael/Conor copycats, and a bunch of talented fighters who don't have what it takes to self-promote. Just my 2 cents.
Cheers!

It depends on the fighter. They can push someone like Leon Edwards as much as possible, he still won’t be superstar. And then you have guys like Khamzat, O’Malley and Paddy the Baddy becoming huge stars

 

[svmr_db]

Why do people always assume that being ”multi-lingual” is a good thing for popularity let alone for being a superstar? I dont see the connection, more often its a bad thing due to not being as fluent in english.

Being able to communicate with fans & media in different countries is a big deal, it helps the UFC a lot. Just look at Charles Oliveira, he would be a more popular champion if he was able to do media in English. Not that there's anything wrong with it that he can't.

 

[ki11ian]

I like his personality from what I have seen and he looks exciting in the Octagon. He certainly has star potential, he just needs to keep winning. So time will tell I guess.

 

[Greyscale]

• Undefeated (11-0, 10 by finish)
• Black belt, exciting style and great both standing and on the ground
• Represents both Georgia & Spain
• Multi-lingual
• Movie star good looks @Ackmed

He's not Muslim, so no.