Too much hype for Islam vs Topuria not too happen

[Rayess]

Islam Arman vs Islam Topuria.
it's easy to see which one of the two is going to be a massive draw, I don't even think Islam wants Arman at this point.

I can almost guarantee Islam vs Topuria will be the fight that gets made. Money talks, and the UFC would probably offer Islam three times more for the Topuria fight.

Every potential matchup comes with built-in excuses from critics. If Islam beats Arman, they'll say 'Well, he already beat him before, so Arman was destined to lose.' If he beats Gaethje, it'll be 'Gaethje was too old and washed up.' The same pattern continues for any opponent.

Yes, if Islam defeats Topuria, some people will dismiss it as 'just beating a featherweight.' But many others will recognize this as Islam cementing his legacy as one of the all-time greats.
The reality is that Topuria is rapidly becoming one of the UFC's biggest stars , arguably even bigger than Volkanovski now. This could easily be the biggest fight of Islam's career in terms of global appeal. The FW thing narrative is more of a niche at that point.

 

[Alpha_T83]

Hype likely doesn't factor into the equation when Islam's team decides to take the fight.

If I'm Islam and Belal wins at UFC 315, and I've barely (if at all) started a real training camp, and the fight is 7 weeks away and I'm heavier than I've ever been at that point, I'm almost certainly deciding not to fight at UFC 317. Islam not being motivated to defend against another 145er is just another point that factors into that decision.

 

[TriangleMonkey]

Whether Islam likes the circumstances or not, Topuria is the biggest fight he could have right now

I see the thing he means though. Say Topuria gets TS, but still loses. Then Topuria stay at LW like he says but goes on to face other top LWs and loses to them as well. The weight of the win Islam had would diminish quite quickly so in that case, Gaethje has better leverage with a recent LW win

 

[ultra321]

"Too much hype for Islam vs Topuria not too happen"​

How much hype has there been for Junky Jones vs Peoples Champ Tom Aspinall, FOR YEARS!!!!!.
well, we see where that's gone.... Jones thinks he's worth Connor money to go out there and get fucked up... He's not... but I digress...
Is Islam a duck? Nope. but just because we want something doesn't mean shit.... look at prime Khabib vs Ferguson...
we were drooling over that fight... Nothing.... And honestly Topuria needs a couple more fights at the weight class first...

 

[Only Here for Attachments]

Throwing the promotion behind Ilia is the easiest no-brainer UFC has gotten in years. This opportunity fell into their laps and they're all like, "Huh? What do we do....?" Pure incompetence.

 

[burningspear]

When the guy chasing is looking like a samurai, the guy running will always look a coward.

 

[sonhow]

Unfortunately the bigger the fight the less likely Dana is able to make it happen.
Dudes become completely useless figurehead.

 

[CrimsonFan]

They should just scrap Islam vs JDM if they had a clue. Too much to lose for Islam on that fight and Top would be a much bigger fight and win for him.

It's Islam that really loses the most here. I mean what does going up and winning a 170 belt against JDM really do for him? The guy has zero title defenses. It's not the big holy grail of mma to win 2 belts anymore. Everyone is doing it. Usually by taking advantage of weak champions.

But if he loses this fight all the hype for the Ilia fight is gone.

 

[cburm]

Islam Arman vs Islam Topuria.
it's easy to see which one of the two is going to be a massive draw, I don't even think Islam wants Arman at this point.

I can almost guarantee Islam vs Topuria will be the fight that gets made. Money talks, and the UFC would probably offer Islam three times more for the Topuria fight.

Every potential matchup comes with built-in excuses from critics. If Islam beats Arman, they'll say 'Well, he already beat him before, so Arman was destined to lose.' If he beats Gaethje, it'll be 'Gaethje was too old and washed up.' The same pattern continues for any opponent.

Yes, if Islam defeats Topuria, some people will dismiss it as 'just beating a featherweight.' But many others will recognize this as Islam cementing his legacy as one of the all-time greats.
The reality is that Topuria is rapidly becoming one of the UFC's biggest stars , arguably even bigger than Volkanovski now. This could easily be the biggest fight of Islam's career in terms of global appeal. The FW thing narrative is more of a niche at that point.

Yeah we need top vs Islam.

Armen I don't think he has a chance he can't put wrestle the bigger guys..

Top can with his BJJ and boxing.