Khabib Nurmagomedov is not convinced that Ilia Topuria is the top lightweight in the UFC.
Islam Makhachev gave up his 155lb title earlier this year to move up and chase a welterweight belt.
In June, at UFC 317, Ilia Topuria claimed the vacant title by knocking out Charles Oliveira.
But Nurmagomedov does not see him as the clear successor to his teammate’s place at the top.
Khabib Nurmagomedov has his say on who sits atop the UFC lightweight division
When asked about a possible title bout between Ilia Topuria and Arman Tsarukyan, Nurmagomedov offered his perspective.
In an ideal scenario, the Armenian fighter – who holds a 9-2 record in the UFC – would be next in line for a title shot. But Dana White has said Tsarukyan needs to earn his way back into contention after pulling out of a scheduled bout against Islam Makhachev just a day before UFC 311 in January.
Despite that, ‘The Eagle’ is confident that if the fight happens, Tsarukyan will come out on top.
“I don’t see Topuria having a chance,” he said to Kamil Gadzhiyev.
“Arman fights too well at range against strikers. He keeps the distance well, works better with his kicks. And now Arman has improved a lot. He has footage that he can study and analyse. If they fought three years ago, maybe he wouldn’t have been as cautious. But now, you can clearly see what dangers Topuria brings.
“I believe right now, the best lightweight is Tsarukyan. Arman can take people down, he has good elbows on the ground. Very good elbows. He can grapple, submit, take the back.
“I’d say it’s 80%-20% in Arman’s favour. His wrestling, his pressure, his physicality. It all matters. He’s taller by 10 centimetres, if I’m not mistaken. He’s heavier, and on fight night, he’ll be the bigger man. And of course, wrestling always plays a huge role, especially fights like this.
“We all know the level of wrestling that Holloway and Charles Oliveira had. It’s practically non-existent. They are strikers. They went forward and got caught. But a guy who [wrestles], Topuria hasn’t faced that. Name at least one of his opponents who uses even 20% wrestling. Not 50%, just 20%.
“It’s an interesting fight. I know the UFC is cautious. They don’t want to throw him to Topuria too quickly. Right now, Topuria is a bigger star than Arman. But if Arman gets a big win, where can they hide him? They won’t be able to.”
Fans back Paddy Pimblett to get the next lightweight title shot
Paddy Pimblett has quietly put together a 7-0 record in the UFC and is starting to emerge as a contender in the lightweight division.
Back in April, ‘The Baddy’ picked up the biggest win of his career, stopping Michael Chandler by TKO in the third round at UFC 314. He also has history with Topuria, dating back to their hotel altercation in March 2022.
Even though he was ranked just #9 at the time, Pimblett was brought into the cage for a face-off with Topuria right after Topuria claimed his second UFC title in June.
This month, Pimblett moved up to #7 without fighting, and some fans see that as a sign that he could be next in line for a title shot. But it remains unclear whether he will jump over Tsarukyan and other top contenders just yet.
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