Ilia Topuria is one of the most confident sports stars on the planet, but ultimately, that could result in his downfall.
Since his emergence in the UFC in 2020, it was immediately clear that Ilia Topuria had the skills to become a future champion in the sport.
He then fulfilled that dream in February last year when he knocked Alexander Volkanovski out cold at UFC 298 to become the new UFC featherweight champion, catapulting himself into superstardom.
The Spaniard then went one step further when he joined an elite group of fighters by becoming a champion in two separate weight classes, scoring another blockbuster KO earlier this year at UFC 317.
And with his career continuing to trend in an upward trajectory, ‘El Matador’ is growing in confidence day by day.
Ilia Topuria could follow Conor McGregor down a path to destruction
Ever since the Spaniard has grown in popularity, he has consistently drawn comparisons to former UFC double champion, Conor McGregor, with some being self constructed.
‘The Notorious’ became the biggest star in combat sports for a reason. His untouchable confidence along with the fact that a touch on his opponent’s chin with his left hand could put them to sleep saw him reach levels unimaginable in MMA.
As he rapidly began outgrowing the sport of MMA and the UFC, McGregor opted to make history when he crossed over to boxing in 2017 to take on Floyd Mayweather.
This, though, was the beginning of McGregor’s downfall in the UFC.
After dedicating so much of his time to the craft of boxing ahead of his fight against Mayweather, when he returned to the UFC over a year later, he was never the same fighter.
His loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov could be explained as Khabib was a freak of nature in his own right. However, his future losses to Dustin Poirier showcased that it wasn’t just a matter of age catching up to him.
Fame and what he’d already accomplished in the sport got to his head, which is something that seemed impossible with McGregor as he was truly a student of the game. The Irishman even shifted styles in the Octagon, going away from his iconic karate-like style in exchange for a more boxing heavy approach.
And unfortunately, it seems as though Topuria could be walking the same tightrope.
Time and time again we have seen in the UFC that when a fighter’s focus shifts to something outside of what is in front of them, things come crashing down. And Topuria seems to be locked and loaded on boxing champ, Terence Crawford.
Terence Crawford would humiliate Topuria in the boxing ring in what could be a bleak day for MMA
Although at the moment it seems like a great idea which would undoubtedly put MMA on the map even more, it would be a guaranteed disaster.
‘Bud’ Crawford is regarded as the current pound-for-pound king in the sport for a reason.
His fight IQ is like no other and he possesses generational skills. Topuria is the best current boxer in the UFC, but even his boxing arsenal looks amateur in comparison to a future Hall of Famer.
With the growing influence of influencer boxing and the sort of money that gets thrown around for big boxing fights, it is fair to see why Topuria wants in.
But he has the genuine potential to go down as the greatest UFC fighter of all time, he just has to avoid cashing in early on his career.