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Surging featherweight contender Ilia Topuria believes he can easily dispatch several UFC A-listers, including two former champions and the current titleholder in his weight class.
During a recent interview with KOlmenero, the 26-year-old spoke about how he feels he matches up against Conor McGregor and Max Holloway.
Per the Spaniard's claims, both the former UFC champions are easy fights for him. 'El Matador' predicted that he would finish McGregor within two rounds, while Holloway won't even last a single round against him: [Transcripts via @u/danielromero6 on reddit]
"I'd finish him [Holloway] in the first round and it would be a beating. They'll see. Every time I fight a harder opponent, everyone will see my real level. I struggle a lot less fighting technical fighters than fighters with more unpredictable striking. They'll see, I'll make it look easy... [Against McGregor] It would last 2 rounds. Just because I'd try to make the 1st one entertaining for the fans."
Topuria also sees himself having an easy fight against the pound-for-pound king Alexander Volkanovski. However, he feels it'll take him two or three rounds to secure a finish against the reigning featherweight champion:
"I'd finish him either in the 2nd round or the 3rd. It would last more just because he moves a lot. If he tried to trade punches with me I'd finish him in the first but that's not how he fights."
Catch Ilia Topuria's comments below:
Ilia Topuria boasts a professional record of 13-0 and currently occupies the ninth spot on the featherweight ladder. In his most recent fight at UFC 282, he secured a dominant second-round submission victory against Bryce Mitchell.
Ilia Topuria believes that the UFC is "protecting" Paddy Pimblett from him
It's safe to say that there is no love lost between Paddy Pimblett and Ilia Topuria. Although 'El Matador' has called out the polarizing Brit multiple times in the past, the matchup is yet to materialize. Notably, they compete in different divisions, with Topuria being a ranked featherweight, while Pimblett fights one division above.
The Spaniard feels that the UFC has no plans to feed him 'The Baddy' anytime soon. During a recent interview on The MMA Hour, the undefeated fighter opined that the promotion is protecting Pimblett from him.
According to Topuria, a fight against the Liverpudlian would be very marketable considering their animosity towards one another:
"I feel like the UFC is protecting him from me, you know. I don't know why [but] in reality that's the fight to make right now because it's one of the biggest fights, I think, in the UFC. You know, we can perfectly sell a pay-per-view... That fight makes more excitement for people than most championship fights."
Catch Ilia Topuria's comments on a potential fight against Paddy Pimblett below:
