Islam Makhachev’s coach refuses to label Ilia Topuria as the best striker in the UFC following KO win over Charles Oliveira

Ilia Topuria scored arguably his most brutal knockout in the octagon thus far when he faced Charles Oliveira in the main event of UFC 317 on June 28. The pair went to war for the vacant lightweight title following Islam Makhachev's relinquishment of the belt. 'El Matador' secured the title with a vicious combination of punches in Round 1 that left his opponent out cold.

With many believing Topuria to be the most devastating and clinical striker in MMA, Makhachev's long time coach Javier Mendez has refused to call him the best striker in the sport.

While Mendez believes that 'El Matador' may be the best "boxer" in mixed martial arts, he believes as a striker, there are still levels to go. His comments came during an interview with Submission Radio taken on June 29, the day after UFC 317. He said:

"He ranks up there in the boxing. Not the overall game of striking. But boxing, I've said it before, I thought he had the best hands in the business. And I hold to my words. I still say he does. I've been saying this a while back, that he's got the best hands out of anybody I've seen. I hold to that, same. He has the best hands... He's the best boxer, not striker, that's another level."

Check out Islam Makhachev's coach discuss Ilia Topuria below (2:15):

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Ilia Topuria shares pragmatic answer about potential Islam Makhachev fight

Islam Makhachev vacated the lightweight title in May to continue his pursuit of a second UFC belt. The Dagestani fighter will move to welterweight where he is expected to challenge the division's champion, Jack Della Maddalena.

But following Ilia Topuria's monumental victory over Charles Oliveira at UFC 317 to win the lightweight belt, the calls for a clash between Makhachev and Topuria are stronger than ever.

Many believe 'El Matador' to be the man to topple Makhachev, given Topuria's elite grappling and earth-shattering power. However, during an interview with ESPN MMA backstage following his win over 'Do Bronx', the Spaniard shared a measured answer about possibly facing Makhachev. He said:

"Realistically, from all the conversations I had with the UFC and how the situation has been involved during the whole process, I don’t think that fight is going to happen. I will be surprised if I get the call and they’re gonna tell me, like, 'I want [you] to fight against Islam.' Which I would love to do. No problem!"

Check out Ilia Topuria's comments on facing Islam Makhachev below (7:15):