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At the same point in their fight lives, where each was a UFC phenom, and one the FW Championship,
Conor came in with more fights, but more losses, both finishes (by submission).
Both wins are equivalent, but to give Conor the proper credit, the win over Aldo was more spectacular because it was at Aldo's absolute peak and he hadn't lost in years.
Conor's KO was also more spectacular, because it was so fast and over with so quickly.
That said, Conor's glaring weaknesses have always been his stamina and his wrestling.
By contrast, Ilia Topuria appears to have outstanding stamina and outstanding wrestling — and even cleaner, tighter boxing.
Conor was at his best when he was a free-floating karateka, and his demise came when he tried to be a "tight" boxer.
His excessive musculature development, and body type, our simply not suited for inside fighting — Conor was at his best sniping from a distance.
In stark opposition to this, Ilia Topuria is deadly in the pocket, is loose and relaxed, and much more natural (and deadly) with his combination punching.
When you add to this the fact that Topuria appears to have incredible stamina (he was breathing out of his nose, mouth shut, in between rounds with Volk) — and he's a dynamic wrestler-grappler — he appears to have much more lasting potential than Conor McGregor ever did.
That said, Topuria appears to have a slender face, and a thin neck, so I am not sure how good his chin is, if he gets really clipped.
Time will tell, but he did a helluva job last night.
- Topuria came in against Volk 14-0 (12 finishes, 86%), whereas ...
- Conor came in against Aldo 19-2 (17, finishes, 81%, but was finished twice, 4.5%)
Conor came in with more fights, but more losses, both finishes (by submission).
Both wins are equivalent, but to give Conor the proper credit, the win over Aldo was more spectacular because it was at Aldo's absolute peak and he hadn't lost in years.
Conor's KO was also more spectacular, because it was so fast and over with so quickly.
That said, Conor's glaring weaknesses have always been his stamina and his wrestling.
By contrast, Ilia Topuria appears to have outstanding stamina and outstanding wrestling — and even cleaner, tighter boxing.
Conor was at his best when he was a free-floating karateka, and his demise came when he tried to be a "tight" boxer.
His excessive musculature development, and body type, our simply not suited for inside fighting — Conor was at his best sniping from a distance.
In stark opposition to this, Ilia Topuria is deadly in the pocket, is loose and relaxed, and much more natural (and deadly) with his combination punching.
When you add to this the fact that Topuria appears to have incredible stamina (he was breathing out of his nose, mouth shut, in between rounds with Volk) — and he's a dynamic wrestler-grappler — he appears to have much more lasting potential than Conor McGregor ever did.
That said, Topuria appears to have a slender face, and a thin neck, so I am not sure how good his chin is, if he gets really clipped.
Time will tell, but he did a helluva job last night.
