I'm not sold on Topuria

[LiQuiD42]

All Topuria ever did was beat a washed up Volkanovski, who was never really that good in the first place. Now that I think about it, neither of them are my friend but they both did ok in the UFC.

 

[r-harper-1]

I’m high on Topuria ….see how it plays out

 

[BOTTICELLI]

Hand Sanitizer Boy did OK in the UFC

 

[NoSmilez]

I can't put my trust in a man who wears a turtleneck.

 

[johny ringo]

If you can’t see how skilled he is then I don't know what else to say.

 

[ElLunico]

Good way to announce to everyone to never take your takes in MMA seriously lol..

 

[ElLunico]

Jai hurt him but he fought through that and killed Herbert.
That's the only hitch in his gitty up I've seen so far.

Finishing Jai after that showed big heart.

Topuria is a well rounded fighter and shown as much every time out there.

That fight always made me think he had what it took tp be champ. That fight showed his dedication and fitness to recover in a split second after a brutal shot and his mental fortitude to bounce back like it didn't happen still be a agressive and get a highlight reel finish.

That fight more than any of his wins had me convinced he had a great shot at the belt

 

[nostradumbass]

I don't know what 145ers you're talking about outside that are better, apart from Patricio but he's get old as well. Topuria is legit, now Volk shouldn't have taken that fight so soon after Islam, that being said Ilia was never going to be an easy fight. And like Volk said himself, he got caught with a very hard clean shot in which a long layoff wouldn't change in being able to take that better.

It's not about taking the punch better, it's about not back straight into the fence without clinching, changing levels or throwing back while yoyr opponent is chading you down throwing like 5 bombs at you. Volk wasn't a backpeddaler until he got KO'd, and after, he'd throw a couple jabs or a body kick then back out with his chin in the air.

 

[aogiri]

I get what youre saying but it doesnt really matter because FW is overrated.
Movsar - zero finishing ability. Needs to survive five rounds against Ilia for dec win. Unlikely
Yair - cant wrestle.
Ortega - Awful boxing defence.
Volk is done.

Max was his biggest test and hes gone. Seems like Ilia will have easy pickings for a while.

 

[theufcbaddy]

Me either.

 

[Fedora Millionankles]

Aldo still has more defenses than both of them though, does that not count for anything?

Yes it does, though the fact that they fought each other and Volk won and that in the common opponents they fought, Volk was more dominant in his victories over them than Aldo was, makes Volk my choice for GOAT FW. But it’s subjective and I have no problem with others putting Aldo as #1.

 

[StonedLemur]

Yes it does, though the fact that they fought each other and Volk won and that in the common opponents they fought, Volk was more dominant in his victories over them than Aldo was, makes Volk my choice for GOAT FW. But it’s subjective and I have no problem with others putting Aldo as #1.

Fair play sir.

 

[StonedLemur]

That fight always made me think he had what it took tp be champ. That fight showed his dedication and fitness to recover in a split second after a brutal shot and his mental fortitude to bounce back like it didn't happen still be a agressive and get a highlight reel finish.

That fight more than any of his wins had me convinced he had a great shot at the belt

Absolutely sir.
He has shown huge heart, fitness, dedication, mental toughness in that fight.

He showed the willingness to walk through the fire to grab that win.
Can't hate that my friend.

 

[FrappeDuRocma]

Me either.

Don't be delusional, he would kick your ass.

 

[StonedLemur]

Me either.

He'd beat you senseless sir, you barely beat Tony ffs.

 

[CieloLuce]

Lmao. It never really changes.

 

[Kyd Blake]

Me either.

Had to actually sign in for the first time in months for this one. You think you could beat Topuria? Could you even make 145? Would you fight him at LW instead?

I'd actually be down to watch this lol.

 

[spooNN]

He'll never win a belt.

 

[Slobodan]

Me either.

Eh... I'd still bet on him against you.

But it's good to see you back here again, hope you've been well.

 

[Goutfather]

i’m not sold either. in particular, i don’t think he beat the best version of volk. he got the concussed, demoralized, depressed alcoholic bender version of volk, who was 8 years his senior and over 35. not to make excuses, but confidence and momentum go a long way at the highest levels. topuria seems very dialed in to that aspect of it. what he’s missing imo (from what i’ve seen) is a breadth of high level skill and strategy. he’s not doing anything particularly interesting, but the things he’s doing, he is executing very well. that’s enough to win, but not a recipe for longevity. simply put, i think someone is going to figure him out within 1 or 2 fights. they’re going to study his tape, break down his mistakes, and exploit them, the same way he probably did for volk. i could be wrong, but i doubt it.

topuria’s swagger reminds me quite a bit of mcgregor. he might be hungry for a belt, but not so much for defenses. wouldn’t be surprised if topuria uses his newfound fame to spring into other lucrative ventures. if he manages to do that while he’s still undefeated, he’ll probably vacate the belt and say “i have nothing left to prove,” after like 2 defenses.