Ilia Topuria deserves next UFC featherweight title shot, argues Daniel Cormier
Top contender Ilia Topuria deserves the next UFC featherweight title shot, argued UFC Hall of Famer and analyst Daniel Cormier.
Topuria has won all six of his UFC fights, and his most recent performance, a one-sided beatdown over Josh Emmett in the main event of UFC Jacksonville, was by far the best he’s ever looked inside the Octagon. Now that he’s improved to 14-0 in his MMA career, there are many fans and media who are calling for Topuria to get the next title shot at 145 lbs, and Cormier agrees with that sentiment.
Speaking on ESPN, Cormier explained why he belives Topuria is ready for the title shot.
“I’m OK with him going right into a title fight. I think he is that ready. This kid showed conditioning over 25 minutes, he showed an ability to compete everywhere, and he really did just dominate. I think that he matches up relatively well against all of them. The technical fight between him and Yair (Rodriguez) would be crazy, but then also to watch him fight the champion, (Alexander) Volkanovski, with their skill sets – fantastic fights across the board at 145,” Cormier said (via MMAjunkie.com).
The champion Volkanovski takes on the challenger Rodriguez next month at UFC 290, and it certainly makes a lot of sense for Topuria to be next in line to fight for the title, considering his winning streak. As far as Cormier goes, Topuria has shown everything he needs to in order to earn another title shot.
“You can’t judge him harshly in anything that he did over the course of the first main event week that he’s ever had. He’s calm. He’s collected. His demeanor outside of the octagon translates so well inside the octagon. He’s at the high guard, he’s in there, he sets everything up – he wastes nothing. This dude is just – he really is next-level and he is the evolution of mixed martial arts,” Cormier said.
Do you agree with Daniel Cormier that Ilia Topuria deserves the next title shot at 145 lbs?
