How Long Can Ilia Topuria Rule The UFC Featherweight Division?
At UFC 298, Ilia Topuria brutally knocked out Alexander Volkanovski to dethrone the long-reigning champion. Will Topuria be the next great featherweight champion or will he be stopgap for the division’s next king? Let’s discuss.
Topuria’s Skill
I am not breaking news to anyone, but Topuria is legit. The champion’s UFC 298 performance should have silenced doubters.
The go-to skill throughout Topuria’s title reign will be his boxing. In the pocket, opponents do not have the boxing skills to exchange with him. Furthermore, his boxing is adaptable to different types of strikers. The fact that he has lethal knockout power makes it very difficult to strike with him.
Topuria is more than capable of grappling if he needs to. In the featherweight division, that is crucial. The division has a mix of strikers with suspect grappling and grapplers with suspect striking. In the future, Topuria should be able to find success utilizing his grappling.
The craziest part of Topuria’s skill set is that he is 27 years old. It is likely he will continue to improve his skill set.
Future Contenders
The UFC featherweight division is a strong division with a plethora of future contenders. At the moment, there is no clear option for Topuria’s next fight. I could see a scenario where Volkanovski, Yair Rodriguez, Brian Ortega, Movsar Evloev, or Max Holloway will be Topuria’s first title defense. It should be noted that Aljamain Sterling, Arnold Allen, or Calvin Kattar could all work to a title fight.
I am not going to pin down exactly who Topuria will fight. It is possible to make arguments for several fighters. Additionally, a couple of fighters are booked and need to win their next fight. The best example of that would be Rodriguez and Ortega who are booked to fight at UFC Mexico.
I think the toughest challenges for Topuria would be Holloway and Evloev. Holloway is on the short list of fighters that could strike with Topuria. On the flip side, Evloev is one of the best pure grapplers. I would probably pick Topuria in both matchups, however.
To round out the initial group, I’d be fairly confident that Topuria beats Volkanovski, Rodriguez, and Ortega. At this point, I have serious concerns regarding Volkanovski’s chin and Topuria could crack it again. Meanwhile, Rodriguez and Ortega are not well-rounded enough. Sterling and Kattar could be tossed into the group of fighters who are not well-rounded enough as well.
I’d love to see Allen work his way to a fight against Topuria. Allen is a legit boxer who hits hard. That would be a fun matchup. The power, physicality, and boxing would give Topuria problems. I am not saying it would be enough of a problem to take the belt, but that is a good matchup.
The Verdict
The UFC featherweight division has the most exclusive club of champions. Topuria is just the fifth fighter to sit atop the divisional throne. Historically, this is a division that fighters tend to rule for a long period. I think Topuria will be the next to do so.
As discussed, it is hard to tell who will challenge Topuria. That is in the UFC’s hands. I would still have to favor Topuria in just about any hypothetical featherweight fight that is proposed.
Most importantly, Topuria is a highly skilled 27-year-old. The most likely outcome is that he holds the featherweight belt for a long time. Volkanovski’s mark of five title defenses is in danger. It is hard to say if he can reach Aldo’s record of seven. That is not a reflection of his skill. Rather, it is impossible to know what the division will look like in a handful of years. A great example of that is the fact that Topuria was not even in the UFC when Volkanovski won the belt. Who knows what the division will look like in four years?
It seems like a foregone conclusion that Topuria will hold the UFC featherweight belt for a while. The Topuria era is upon us.
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