Ilia's wrestling/grappling level

[AndrewGolota48]

He's excellent, you can tell by watching him. He clowned Bryce in the grappling exchanges. That being said, imo he has nothing for Islam in any grapple exchange.

When Bryce took him down, he couldn't do a damn thing. He was stuck on his back for the entire rest of the round. Clowned Mitchell in grappling? Oh you're talking about only after he rocked the living dogshit out of him standing....

 

[joy2day]

Another top fighter who has avoided all wrestlers?!?!

Not at all. I've watched all of his fights on Fight Pass, including before the UFC. He was a dominant grappler in his early fights, getting fighters down and submitting them on the ground. He mostly started to knock people out in the UFC. His tendency to knock fighters out with a single punch only started the fight before he entered the UFC. With his punching improved, and coming into his own as a striker, his UFC career has been largely striking but make no mistake about it- he is an excellent grappler.

 

[Neck&Neck]

I don't want to wait anymore, I want to see Toppy get out there and get sloppy

The Toppy is too precise to get sloppy
He’s a rare Tidy Toppy

 

[aerius]

GSP was an elite MMA wrestler from Canada with little to no wrestling background

That is true, but he also had Soviet wrestling coaches from Russia and Georgia who've won medals in international competitions. He was learning wrestling from some of the best folks around when he was in MMA.

 

[10000yearsold]

Not Islam.

 

[HuskySamoan]

I don't want to wait anymore, I want to see Toppy get out there and get sloppy

Toppy vs Olives

Islam vs Arman

Let's go UFC.

 

[mkt]

Ilia has a greco Georgian background. Sounds like solid fundamentals, but only did it a local school.
Moved to Spain at 15, entering the Climent brother's gym renowned by his BJJ.

Before UFC, he has lmany submissions but only one @ UFC, Bryce Mitchell, a BJJ black belt but not a real test a the level Ilia is competing right now.

He has trained in Spain since then. Every training pal/coach talks about his wrestling/grappling being absolutely top of the crop, elite among the elite.

But... this is Spain (I'm a Spaniard, BTW). He is not training with Dagestanis, Brazilians or the people available in ATT i.e.

Compare Ilia to a fighter who you think is evenly matched in wrestling/grappling. Honestly, I don't know.

Wasn't Bryce already hurt from exchanging with Ilia, too? I'm not sure he'd submit Bryce in a pure grappling match. Kron Gracie couldn't.

 

[mkt]

Nobody has been able to survive with Makhachev on top. Who knows?

Islam was on top of Poirier for some of the 25 minutes they fought. And I'm pretty sure he was on top of Volk in parts of their first fight? But your point is taken. Islam won both of those fights, too.

 

[Kal-El]

When Bryce took him down, he couldn't do a damn thing. He was stuck on his back for the entire rest of the round. Clowned Mitchell in grappling? Oh you're talking about only after he rocked the living dogshit out of him standing....

Could be, I haven't seen that fight in a while, I mostly remember Bryce getting shut down shooting, then getting choked.

 

[Koya]

GSP was an elite MMA wrestler from Canada with little to no wrestling background

Yeah, fair enough. But he trained at Tristar...

He trained freestyle wrestling extensively at Montréal Wrestling Club which could as well be called Caucasus Wrestling Club and it wouldn't be an exaggeration.

 

[Spath]

He rocked Bryce so bad that bryce thought the earth was round. Subbing a rocked fighter isn't a big statement.

That’s true. I think Bryce also said he had the flu and it just wasn’t his night as he was under the weather. Maybe, maybe not, but Topuria did smack him around a good bit before any grappling happened.

I’m still waiting to see how he’d perform in a fight that took him to the deep waters.

 

[chinarice]

When Bryce took him down, he couldn't do a damn thing. He was stuck on his back for the entire rest of the round. Clowned Mitchell in grappling? Oh you're talking about only after he rocked the living dogshit out of him standing....

Bryce took him down and basically spent the entire time defending punches and Ilia working toward an armbar.... lol Bryce literally couldn't do anything with it except maybe one glancing elbow... maybe

 

[Rubios]

But we are not talking about Bryce as a benchmark, just as his only test @ UFC.
We're talking Charles, Arman or Islam.

 

[Joinho10]

His wrestling against high level wrestlers is unproven. Seems like a lot of people are banking on fairytales from teammates and his ethnicity.

 

[World eater]

He is good, most likely even elite, based on what others say of him. But being good and being good enough to defeat Makachev are not the same thing. Even if they were at the same grappling level I would favour Makachev due to size. But punching power might be the equilizer.

 

[Tweak896]

Topuria was a wrestler when he started mma, if you watch his early fights he looked like he only wanted to wrestle. I'd be absolutely shocked if he could take down Islam and keep him there, but it might be good enough to keep it standing against Islam better than Dustin atleast. Wrestling definitely is the least tested skillset before we call him perfect.

 

[Petarito]

i think it's probably good, but size matters in grappling when the other guy knows how to grapple too, and Islam is a gorilla

Very good argument. Islam has to go through a near death experience to make 155

 

[Rubios]

And Topuria has power, sure, but we know nothing about his strength.

He seems to be an elite of the elite all-around athlete.

But Islam and Arman are strong as fck. Plus size handicap, I don't know if he can match them wrestling/grappling.

 

[Rubios]

Topuria was a wrestler when he started mma, if you watch his early fights he looked like he only wanted to wrestle. I'd be absolutely shocked if he could take down Islam and keep him there, but it might be good enough to keep it standing against Islam better than Dustin atleast. Wrestling definitely is the least tested skillset before we call him perfect.

Uhm. I think his kicks are very bread and butter.
Powerful, but the timing, speed and variety is a bit lacking.

 

[Tweak896]

Uhm. I think his kicks are very bread and butter.
Powerful, but the timing, speed and variety is a bit lacking.

I said that before about his lack of variety in strikes and people got butt hurt defending it. He's masterful setting up the KO, but you have to think someone like Anderson Silva is just way more dynamic. But also never mentioned his kicks.