Does Ilia Topuria have to earn his shot to fight for the LW belt?

[tgv976]

No. He's undefeated. Promotionally it makes more sense to match champ vs champ 1st.

 

[Meathead Jock]

Makchaev earns his title shot by beating short notice Bobby Green who then went 3 - 5

Yea that's it... Not the ten fight win streak in the actual weight class.

 

[ssBaldy]

Inspired by this thread.

Media Post in thread 'Islam Makhachev wants Ilia Topuria to earn title shot, hasn't agreed to fight him yet'

Yesterday at 10:24 AM

• andgonsil

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Do you think has to earn it? Or his resume speaks for itself and he should get a title shot ASAP?

Wearing their suit like that should automatically ban anyone from any title opportunities for a year. Second offence should lead to termination of contract and revocation of fighter license.

In all seriousness I think only champs who cleaned out their divisions should get instant title shots at next divisions. Since Ilia vacated his belt, let him fight a top contender at LW first.

 

[Mohawk Banditó]

Although I think he has certainly proved himself to be an elite level threat in general, I also think that title selection should be on earned merit, not perceived skill.

This is certainly a drawback to the idea the UFC has created where a champ can jump a class and get an instant title shot (and frankly a lot of things where we create some two-tiered champ system where so-called "dominant champs" get benefits that others don't). It becomes, "Well, I beat the guy who did that, so why shouldn't I get to?"

But I get by on treating it the same way as that title level gatekeeper people have to beat, where one guy beats RDA or something so he gets a title shot. But then the next guy also beats RDA and expects a title shot, and you kinda gotta go, "No, there's diminishing returns there, you gotta do more"

The problem here is, who is next for Islam? Anytime I think about divisional booking, I try to book it from the top down. So if we're talking about Ilia earning a shot, I think the answer's no, but when we're taking a look at who Islam should fight? If it's not Arman, we're a little thin on choice

 

[MMAJunkie]

Arman lmao

dude couldn't show up to his biggest payday, he loses his turn in line

Guy got hurt. He is the clear #1 contender.

 

[JoeRowe]

Only guy who should get it over Topuria is Arman, but it's understandable why Islam would want to wait for Topuria to beat a top ranked LW before giving him the chance.

Islam vs Arman
Topuria vs Oliveira for #1 contender

This is the way

 

[Krixes]

I personally want to see it right now but he should earn it. The amount of hate and disrespect Islam received for beating Volk twice is why he should earn it. It's funny because the same people that hate on Islam for fighting Volk are saying Illia deserves it.

 

[Krixes]

Everyone complaining about Arman should take it up with Dana and the UFC. Most fans want that fight but you screw Dana over on weigh in day, he's gonna get his revenge.

 

[outbreak92]

Islam should just fight him, he gave volk a shot ,he's just scared because he might get kod

 

[RichardHarrow]

He should have at least one fight so he can make the claim that he is a legitimate LW rather than it appearing a FW got a titleshot and Islam bested a FW.

 

[DoubleTrouble]

Ducking Evloev for the much easier fight with Islam?

Yes...avoiding a contender in the division you are champion in IS ducking.

 

[Bilzerian]

That horse face has to do. Let him do it

 

[DoubleTrouble]

Everyone complaining about Arman should take it up with Dana and the UFC. Most fans want that fight but you screw Dana over on weigh in day, he's gonna get his revenge.

What? Like he got his revenge on Jon Jones you mean...

 

[VinceArch]

Yes. He can fight either Oliviera or Gaethje or Arman.

 

[VinceArch]

Guy got hurt. He is the clear #1 contender.

He got hurt trying to impress a chick. If he loses his contender spot that's on him.

 

[Pequeño Corey]

Yes...avoiding a contender in the division you are champion in IS ducking.

i really want to know, no bullshit, do you honestly believe that Ilia is leaving FW bc he’s scared of Evloev?

Look I’m a huge fan of fighters that stay in their weight class and rack up defenses. I’d love to see Ilia try and beat Diego and then Evloev. Would be a hell of a run. Ilia is doing prizefighting, though. Not saying it’s my favorite, and I really don’t care about champ champ stuff. However, Islam is running thin on options imo. Ilia is way more appealing than past prime Gaethje or an Olives rematch. There is is Arman, of course, but he blew his chance.

 

[Tsuli]

He should have to demonstrate that he's an elite fighter in the weight class before getting a title shot in that weight class, in exactly the same way that Jones, Adesanya, GSP, Mcgregor, Cejudo, Couture, Penn and probably others should have but didn't.

 

[Meathead Jock]

i really want to know, no bullshit, do you honestly believe that Ilia is leaving FW bc he’s scared of Evloev?

Considering the betting line on that matchup is:

Movsar Evloev+100
Ilia Topuria-120

Yes, I do think the fight *scares* Ilia. I have to say I hate the term scared, as I don't think he is afraid of him, but afraid what a loss against him would do to his future earnings compared to a loss against Islam.

Conor kind of showed the business model. A loss up a weight class doesn't really hurt your popularity and brand. He can always return down a weight class and call himself the lineal champ and have an instant title fight. If he loses to Evloev though, he might get a rematch right away, but he would have to reface an opponent who just beat him.

It's a risk/reward type of scared, but if scared is the word we want to use, then yes I no bullshit think he is scared of that fight.

 

[Meathead Jock]

He should have to demonstrate that he's an elite fighter in the weight class before getting a title shot in that weight class, in exactly the same way that Jones, Adesanya, GSP, Mcgregor, Cejudo, Couture, Penn and probably others should have but didn't.

To go over the most recent guys

Jones - is on Mt Rushmore and his belt is still mocked.
Adensanya - two defenses and 205 was garbage after Jones vacated
GSP - another Rushmore member and the Bisping belt is barely recognized
McGregor - he made the company so much money that they were willing to throw out all the rules for him.
Cejudo - was going for for a vacant belt so it needed two non title holders instead of one so a bit easier to jump the line, plus he had at least 1 fight at the weight class in UFC

Ilia doesn't really meet any of that same criteria. It's a good fight and I'll watch it it happens and I'm all for him cherry picking his one top 10 matchup. But him being granted a title shot a weight class above would be the least deserving of the guys above to get one. Especially with Armen is an option to fight in the weight class. Had Islam already beat Armen it would make more sense to me.

 

[Pequeño Corey]

Considering the betting line on that matchup is:

Movsar Evloev+100
Ilia Topuria-120

Yes, I do think the fight *scares* Ilia. I have to say I hate the term scared, as I don't think he is afraid of him, but afraid what a loss against him would do to his future earnings compared to a loss against Islam.

Conor kind of showed the business model. A loss up a weight class doesn't really hurt your popularity and brand. He can always return down a weight class and call himself the lineal champ and have an instant title fight. If he loses to Evloev though, he might get a rematch right away, but he would have to reface an opponent who just beat him.

It's a risk/reward type of scared, but if scared is the word we want to use, then yes I no bullshit think he is scared of that fight.

Considering the betting line on that matchup is:

Movsar Evloev+100
Ilia Topuria-120

Yes, I do think the fight *scares* Ilia. I have to say I hate the term scared, as I don't think he is afraid of him, but afraid what a loss against him would do to his future earnings compared to a loss against Islam.

Conor kind of showed the business model. A loss up a weight class doesn't really hurt your popularity and brand. He can always return down a weight class and call himself the lineal champ and have an instant title fight. If he loses to Evloev though, he might get a rematch right away, but he would have to reface an opponent who just beat him.

It's a risk/reward type of scared, but if scared is the word we want to use, then yes I no bullshit think he is scared of that fight.

Yes we agree. He is prize fighting. Weighing risk vs reward. Zero upside to fighting a boring crotch sniffer with no fans. Evolve will get his TS eventually. He probably would have been fighting Volk or Lopes but he wants to do ramadan so they likely didn’t bother asking him.