Ilia Topuria has fired shots at Dagestani mixed martial artists, claiming they haven’t got the mentality to make it through tough fights.
In recent times, the Spanish-Georgian has cemented his place as one of the most ferocious competitors on the planet, rendering both Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway unconscious to prove himself as the best featherweight in the sport.
With that in mind, the warrior is planning a move to lightweight, with Topuria already winding up Islam Makhachev, who said he was ‘too fat’ for his current division.
And the animosity is likely to only grow further, once the 155-pound King hears about what ‘El Matador’ has had to say about fighters from his region.
WOW: Paddy Pimblett offers to welcome bitter rival Ilia Topuria to the lightweight division
Ilia Topuria says Dagestani fighters can’t overcome adversity
From Khabib Nurmagomedov to Islam Makhachev, Dagestan has produced some of the most dominant UFC stars of all time.
However, it’s fair to say Ilia Topuria doesn’t think the warriors are all they’re cracked up to be.
In an interview with The Full Send Podcast, he said: “None of them have special cardio and stamina. The way they do it, if you fight any of them, the thing they need when they go inside the octagon, in the first contact, they want to feel like they’ve dominated you.
“They start to build their confidence off that. It’s like, ‘I can dominate you, maybe you escape, and we strike again, but I feel like I’m stronger than you’.
“If they feel like in the first contact in the first round that they can’t control you and it’s very competitive, then their head goes down.”
“This is what they try to do, to beat you in the early rounds, that they can dominate you, that they are stronger than you. But when they realize that it’s not like that, most of the time, they lose those kinds of fights.
“All of the competitive fights they lose — all of them.”
Sheesh: Ilia Topuria’s next challange set to be decided as two top contenders are booked for April clash
UFC legend says Islam Makhachev is the only fighter that could stop Ilia Topuria from becoming a three-weight world champion
With Topuria adamant that Dagestani fighters can’t ride out a storm, he may soon have to back up his talk, with a contest against Makhachev potentially around the corner.
Blessed with thunderous power, the 28-year-old always enters the octagon with the potential of switching his opponent’s lights off.
One UFC icon actually believes the 145-pound title holder could knock out almost anybody from featherweight to welterweight.
However, the fan-favorite concedes that Makhachev might be the one man capable of halting Topuria in his tracks.