Khabib Nurmagomedov doesn’t believe Ilia Topuria is the best lightweight in the UFC today.
Earlier this year, Islam Makhachev vacated the 155lb title to pursue glory in the welterweight division.
Ilia Topuria viciously knocked out Charles Oliveira to become the new lightweight king in his absence at UFC 317 in June.
However, ‘El Matador’ hasn’t done enough to convince Khabib Nurmagomedov he’s the rightful heir to his teammate’s throne.
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Khabib Nurmagomedov names the UFC’s best lightweight
Khabib Nurmagomedov was recently asked his thoughts on a potential title fight between Ilia Topuria and Arman Tsarukyan.
The Armenian star is ranked #1 at lightweight after putting together a 9-2 run inside the Octagon.
In a just world, he’ll get the next 155lb title shot. However, UFC CEO Dana White insists Tsarukyan must fight his way back into contention after withdrawing 24 hours before he was meant to fight Islam Makhachev at UFC 311 in January.
Regardless, Nurmagomedov insists Tsarukyan will almost certainly dethrone Topuria if they fight.
“I don’t see Topuria having a chance,” the 29-0 Russian legend told 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 favor. 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 think Paddy Pimblett will get the next lightweight title shot
Paddy Pimblett is the lightweight division’s dark horse after slowly amassing a 7-0 UFC record.
In April, ‘The Baddy’ brutalized Michael Chandler en route to a third-round TKO win in the biggest fight of his career at UFC 314.
Pimblett has a long-running feud with Topuria that dates back to their infamous hotel brawl in March 2022.
Despite only being ranked #9 at lightweight, Pimblett was invited into the cage for an intense face-off with Topuria immediately after he won his second UFC belt in June.
Earlier this month, Pimblett received a surprise rankings boost as he moved up to #7 without throwing a single punch.
UFC fans believe this is a sign that he will get the next crack at Topuria, but only time will tell if Pimblett will be allowed to leapfrog Tsarukyan and a bunch of other lightweight contenders.
