Either Ilia is dumb or scared

[Rdude92]

His intentions are clear: he wants to fight Islam, beat him, and prove he is number 1.

But the problem right now is Islam's at WelterWeight.
And he's NEVER coming back down to 155.
The hype for Ilia to fight Islam at WW is gone.

He knows this but still in recent interviews he is calling for Islam in WW or at catchweight. And to get there he is planning to defend the belt against paddy first.

Ilia wants nothing to do about Arman who is a more accomplished grappler. This is dumb. Because think about it, if Ilia fought Arman and is able to dismantle him easily, wouldnt it generate much more potential hype for a fight against Islam? Beating paddy proves little compared to beating Arman.

Is he shook of Arman's name?

If he truly wants the Islam fight then Arman is the way

 

[HHJ]

The Islam fight is huge. Why would "scared" enter this equation? He wants to fight the biggest fight, against a bigger guy who is at the top of the sport right now.

I understand he wants that more than the fight with Arman. Unfortunatley time doesnt favor it right now.

We also have to see if UFC havent already decided to slot Paddy in there for the next shot, as unfair as that is.

 

[Cameron]

Ilia is ducking Arman

 

[Ozze]

His intentions are clear: he wants the highest hype/payment fights.

So Paddy and Islam fit the bill perfectly.

Has nothing to do with being afraid of Arman.

It sucks for the sport as it fucks up all the proper match ups but the UFC does not give a shit.

Ilia has no place fighting at WW, the division is fine, a lot of great contenders. If he wants to move up, fight a contender, not the champion.

 

[Bowel-forged Stool]

His ex shattered his aura and cursed his legacy. It just ain’t right.

 

[FlyAmericanEagle]

Islam ran away to WW scared of Topuria. He’s laid out the blueprint of avoiding hard fights and taking easy ones.

 

[chinarice]

Well fuck man, I honestly don't blame him if he is. Arman may be Islam's toughest fight 170 and below and his striking looks like it's come a long way. He has some good power too.

Arman is a problem. Arman also has a problem. He's damn near close to Islam's level if not on his level but beating him right now is about worth a fraction as much.

Risk vs reward thing. Islam possesses around the same risk as Arman with a much, much greater reward.

 

[El Fernas]

The Islam fight is huge. Why would "scared" enter this equation? He wants to fight the biggest fight, against a bigger guy who is at the top of the sport right now.

I understand he wants that more than the fight with Arman. Unfortunatley time doesnt favor it right now.

We also have to see if UFC havent already decided to slot Paddy in there for the next shot, as unfair as that is.

Risk - Reward thing, both are risky fights yes, only one of them comes with a reward.

 

[Harlekin]

Arman has 3M followers, Paddy 5M, Islam 12M
Ilia in his mind is unbeatable, he just wants the most fame and money as a prize fighter

 

[ArtardFiesta]

Illia is looking for his retirement payout.

Easy fight against Paddy. Get big payout vs islam.

Maybe do a boxing fight with canelo.

If he plays it right especially with canelo, he retires somewhere between 150-200M.

Yes that means he is ducking Arman in the meanwhile.

 

[STAY GOLD]

How is he scared? Islam is a tougher fight than Arman and he wants to fight the tougher opponent.

 

[moosaev]

His intentions are clear: he wants the highest hype/payment fights.

So Paddy and Islam fit the bill perfectly.

Has nothing to do with being afraid of Arman.

It sucks for the sport as it fucks up all the proper match ups but the UFC does not give a shit.

Ilia has no place fighting at WW, the division is fine, a lot of great contenders. If he wants to move up, fight a contender, not the champion.

The fight will be under the paramount contract, there is no PPV to “hype”. Ilia wants to fight Paddy because it’s an easy pay day. If this is allowed to stand and he fights Paddy then it’s a clear duck.

 

[STAY GOLD]

Maybe do a boxing fight with canelo.

If he plays it right especially with canelo, he retires somewhere between 150-200M.

There's no maybe in this scenario. Canelo isn't fighting Topuria.

 

[C0NCH3TO]

Islam would be the far bigger fight with much more to win. If Topuria losses, he lost to an all time great. Arman is a tremendously risky fight with low reward. I completely understand Topuria but the reality is that Islam won’t be going back to 155 and Topuria’s body is made for 145lbs. He already looks tiny at 155 let alone 170 lbs.

 

[HuskySamoan]

His intentions are clear: he wants to fight Islam, beat him, and prove he is number 1.

But the problem right now is Islam's at WelterWeight.
And he's NEVER coming back down to 155.
The hype for Ilia to fight Islam at WW is gone.

He knows this but still in recent interviews he is calling for Islam in WW or at catchweight. And to get there he is planning to defend the belt against paddy first.

Ilia wants nothing to do about Arman who is a more accomplished grappler. This is dumb. Because think about it, if Ilia fought Arman and is able to dismantle him easily, wouldnt it generate much more potential hype for a fight against Islam? Beating paddy proves little compared to beating Arman.

Is he shook of Arman's name?

If he truly wants the Islam fight then Arman is the way

He very well might be the most talented guy in our sport but hes definitely a little...dodgy. he REALLY didnt want to defend the 145lb title after cleaning up the old guard in Volk and Holloway, he saw it as high risk low reward. Now at 155 hes being really selective too, absolutely doesnt want to fight Arman and hes trying for the Islam fight because thats low risk high reward. Hes looking to be another McGoober.

 

[jeff7b9]

Smart would have been to publicly book a Paddy or Gaethje title defense BEFORE Arman competed and invalidated the "Arman doesn't deserve a title shot he has just been sitting out and we can't trust him to show up and make weight" argument.

It is MUCH harder to avoid that unfavorable matchup now

 

[svmr_db]

Ilia is going to need at least two title LW title defenses for the UFC to entertain the idea of him getting a shot at the WW belt.

 

[moosaev]

Ilia is going to need at least two title LW title defenses for the UFC to entertain the idea of him getting a shot at the WW belt.

Yup. Miminium 2. If he beats Arman and Paddy, and islam beats a couple of guys, then they do a super fight at 170. Otherwise it’s just silly.

 

[Alpha_T83]

I must admit I'm surprised Topuria hasn't signed a contract to defend his lightweight title yet. Whether it's Gaethje, Paddy, or Arman, he should be fighting soon. January is already 7 months after his last title win.

 

[moosaev]

I must admit I'm surprised Topuria hasn't signed a contract to defend his lightweight title yet. Whether it's Gaethje, Paddy, or Arman, he should be fighting soon. January is already 7 months after his last title win.

Not enough people talk about this because he’s such an entertaining fighter to watch….but Ilia is a HORRIBLE champ. He’s inactive, he doesn’t defend against the rightful contenders, he’s entitled and choosy, has negative charisma, etc. Outside of his fighting style he’s one of the worst champs in recent memory.