Ilia Topuria is being discussed among the greatest of all time following his thunderous UFC 317 knockout.
After a short but destructive stint on the featherweight throne, Topuria opted to drop that title and pursue success in the division above.
The Spaniard’s return to lightweight came in the main event of UFC 317 this past Saturday, where Topuria knocked out Charles Oliveira to become the successor to Islam Makhachev at 155 pounds.
Many have since been assessing how ‘El Matador’ would stack up against another man who won both the featherweight and lightweight titles, Conor McGregor.
The latest breakdown, however, focused on a different fantasy matchup.
Laura Sanko assesses prime Ilia Topuria vs prime Khabib Nurmagomedov fantasy fight
During a recent appearance on Submission Radio, former fighter-turned-UFC color commentator and analyst Laura Sanko was asked how she thinks Topuria would have fared against the consensus GOAT of his new weight class.
While Sanko admitted that she hasn’t seen enough from Topuria on the ground to suggest he could withstand Khabib Nurmagomedov’s offense there, she could also envision the Spaniard being the first to KO the 29-0 ex-champ.
“Ilia’s boxing is far too dangerous,” Sanko said. “I think that the only pathway for Khabib to beat someone like Ilia in this hypothetical that we’re running with here would, of course, be on the ground.
“We’re yet to see Ilia’s ground game tested against the elite of the elite. Obviously he just fought Charles Oliveira, who is the greatest submission artist of all-time. I’m only saying the fight didn’t last long enough…he was tested on the ground for what, 45 seconds?
“I don’t know that we know enough about Ilia’s get-up game. There were some moments in the Bryce Mitchell fight when Bryce was on top and Ilia was a little bit stifled.
“So that’s the only path to victory that I could see for Khabib,” Sanko added. “I could also see Khabib shooting from an ill-advised distance and getting knocked out.”
Ilia Topuria won’t chase Khabib Nurmagomedov’s protégé — for now
While that fight will remain in the realm of fantasy due to Nurmagomedov’s retirement almost five years ago, Topuria could end up fighting someone similar.
After vacating his featherweight title, Topuria set his sights on Makhachev, the friend and protégé of Nurmagomedov. That bout didn’t come to fruition at lightweight owing to the Dagestani’s decision to chase two-division glory himself.
Despite ‘El Matador’ teasing a pursuit of a history-making third title crowning, for the time being, Topuria has agreed to the UFC’s request for him to stay put.
“I’ve thought about it, but the last conversation I had with the UFC, they personally asked me the favor, ‘Don’t tell us after the fight that you want to move to the welterweight division. Make us a promise,'” Topuria revealed on the UFC’s About Last Fight show.
But whether that promise will hold for too long, especially if Makhachev becomes a two-division champ himself, remains to be seen.
“I was like, ‘Ah, I promise,’” Topuria added, while jokingly crossing his fingers.