"By murder" - MMA fans get into heated debate over who'd win Ilia Topuria vs. prime Khabib Nurmagomedov fantasy matchup

The response from MMA fans around the world to a hypothetical fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Ilia Topuria has been conflicting. While some say that Topuria would not fare well against a competitor such as Nurmagomedov, others assert that the reigning featherweight champion has the necessary skill set to defeat the UFC Hall of Famer.

In a recent post on X, MMA Uncensored questioned who would prevail in a fictitious bout between Topuria and Nurmagomedov at his peak, writing:

''Prime Khabib vs. Ilia Topuria, who wins?''

Fans soon rushed to the comments section to share their reactions.

One fan backed Nurmagomedov, writing:

''Khabib by murder''

Another fan stated:

''I love how people forget how good could Khabib was and still is. Nine times out of 10 he beats Topuria''

Other fans wrote:

''Love how people are discounting Topuria so fast, no khabib doesn’t dominate him like yall think he does, I think it goes to decision and whether or not they’re in Abu Dhabi. Topuria has the best chance at 155 don’t @ me''

''Any smart person wouldn’t answer because we’ve never seen ilia deal with anyone anywhere near the danger level Khabib presents in the grappling dept, this will all either be recency bias or favoritism.''

Check out more reactions below:

Screenshots courtesy: Fan reactions to MMA Uncensored's post on X

Topuria's success in the UFC has led to parallels to Nurmagomedov, with six finishes since his debut in 2020. Popular MMA YouTuber The MMA Guru started a heated debate among MMA fans by comparing the fighters' career paths, suggesting that the Spaniard's early competition was tougher than the former lightweight champion's.

In an X post, he wrote:

"The difference is insane, we need to start rethinking who we just chuck around the term "goat" for. Ilia is straight in at the deep end. Khabib was in the kiddie pool with floaties on for nearly 6 years"

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Javier Mendez sends strong warning to Ilia Topuria

Ilia Topuria delivered on his promise by knocking out Max Holloway to defend his featherweight belt at UFC 308. Before his title fight, Topuria made another claim of becoming the first fighter to defeat Islam Makhachev via submission

In a recent interview with Red Corner MMA, Makhachev's coach Javier Mendez discussed Topuria's remarks, saying:

''You [Topuria] come to Dagestan, and [if] you're submitting everybody there, then we can talk. But if you're doing it at home, you're not doing it with the beasts that are in Abdulmanap's gym... The only person I've seen do anything to Islam is Khabib [Nurmagomedov]."

Check out Javier Mendez's comments below (8:14):