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Ilia Topuria put on a masterful performance when moving up to lightweight at UFC Fight Night: Aspinall vs. Volkov, and fans are curious about what is next for the Georgian. The 25-year-old is now 4-0 in the UFC, finishing his last three via knockout.
The sky is the limit for this fighter of Georgian descent. 12 wins, 11 stoppages, and the ability to perform in multiple weight classes prove that Topuria is a name to be watching closely.
'El Matador' famously finished Ryan Hall at UFC 264, an event that featured the third meeting between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier. This knockout finish on a card with so many eyes on it garnered a great deal of attention that would roll over into his next outing. Topuria continued to impress with his recent knockout finish of Jai Herbert, a fight in which he showed incredible toughness.
The bout against Herbert was Topuria's lightweight debut after having contested primarily at featherweight so far. He expressed that he wants to move back down to 145lbs and continue his run there, but a potential fight at 155lbs could keep him around.
With all the momentum he could ask for, the options are endless; here are five potential opponents for Ilia Topuria after the UFC London victory.:
#5. Ilia Topuria vs. Paddy Pimblett
Some heated tweets culminated in fists thrown between Ilia Topuria and Paddy Pimblett at the fighter's hotel a few days before the night of the UFC London card. Both fighters had to overcome early adversity in their respective bouts but scored an emphatic finish inside the octagon.
'El Matador' found a concluding punch to end his opponent's night, and the following moments saw him call out Pimblett, which was showered with boos from the English crowd.
Later in the night, 'The Baddy' blew the roof off the O2 arena when he forced a tap from his opponent, Rodrigo Vargas. He largely disregarded Topuria's callout and hilariously called out Mark Zuckerberg.
A fight against Pimblett would keep Topuria at lightweight, and there is a great deal of tension behind it. This is not the best match for either fighter in terms of cracking the top 15 of their division, but it's undoubtedly a fight that would bring in the attention of fans all over the globe.
#4. Ilia Topuria vs. Cub Swanson
'Killer' Cub Swanson is no stranger to derailing a hype train. Assuming this fight is the next chapter of Tuporia's very young UFC career, fans will be looking at this as being marketed as 'Fight of the Year', and with both fighters' styles, it could very well be just that.
Swanson has never been in a boring fight, and 'El Matador' has followed suit with barn-burner performances thus far into his career. 13 years the elder, Swanson has seen it all in his career. Still, Topuria does offer threats that have defeated the Californian in the past.
Fans might've written 'Killer' Cub off a few years back, but a career resurgence led to his most recent win against Darren Elkins, which is one of Swanson's best performances to date. With similar styles but different parts of their careers, Swanson vs. Topuria makes sense and would have fans marking their calendars.
#3. Ilia Topuria vs. Josh Emmett
Yet another fight that has "excitement" written all over it would be Topuria vs. Emmett. While Emmett hasn't been the most active fighter as injuries have plagued him of late, he's still a threat and a potential contender.
The lone performance in 2021 saw Emmett defeat the always dangerous Dan Ige, proving that he's still a presence to take note of at featherweight. This is a steep step up in competition for Topuria, but his past performances have shown him dealing with almost any threat the UFC has tossed at him.
The punching power of either fighter makes this potential fight one that probably won't need the judges to hang around. Emmett is currently ranked No.9 at featherweight -- if Topuria can handle this task, then the top five featherweights will need to take notice of the undefeated up-and-comer.
#2. Ilia Topuria vs. Shane Burgos
Continuing the potential slug-fests is a matchup between Shane Burgos and Ilia Topuria. Burgos rebounded from two consecutive losses and put on a fan-favorite fight against Billy Quarantillo.
This win reassured fans that 'Hurricane' is a fighter that never disappoints when sporting the UFC's 4oz gloves. Furthermore, this isn't just a fight to light up an audience, but it makes sense, as both fighters want to restate their spot in the featherweight rankings.
Burgos has seen the top of the division and has fought the fresher faces that have worked their way up; it makes sense, then, for the UFC to allow Topuria the opportunity to show where he ranks amongst the upper echelons.
#1. Ilia Topuria vs. Andre Fili
Here's another potential 'Fight of the Year' candidate to cap off the list. Most recently, Fili is coming off a no-contest due to an accidental eye poke against Daniel Pineda. The no-contest doesn't look good on the record, but the performance sure looks good on the highlight reel.
Another fighter who has seen his fair share of the division's talents, Fili made his promotional debut in 2013. It takes quite a bit of skill to stick around for this long, competing against the best. Given how highly-skilled both fighters are, 'Touchy' Fili and 'El Matador' would be a shoo-in for a co-main event spot.
While Fili technically hasn't won since 2020, it makes sense for him to fight down the ranks. With the risk comes great reward -- if he can get through Topuria, he'll make quite the statement. On the opposite side of the coin, Topuria could catapult himself over many big names with a win over Andre Fili.
