Tom Aspinall breaks down how Ilia Topuria's punching technique offers a unique benifit: "Punches like a boxer"

UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall has weighed in on Ilia Topuria's skillset, breaking down his unique punching technique.

Aspinall was recently crowned the undisputed champion following Jon Jones’ retirement from the UFC. The 32-year-old is content to leave the Jones saga behind and is now focused on facing other surging contenders. On the flip side, Topuria is set to make his lightweight debut against 'Do Bronx' for the vacant lightweight championship at UFC 317 in a few days.

The Englishman appeared on TNT Sports' latest Fight Lab episode, where he analyzed the upcoming Topuria vs. Oliveira bout. He went on to highlight that 'El Matador' possesses exceptional footwork and “punches like a boxer.”

"You look at Topuria and you think — heavy hands, great grappler. What I like watching [in] him is his foot placement. The way he distributes his balance through his feet is unbelievable. He is never too far forward, he's never too far back. He always stands with a wide stance, even though he's quite short. When he punches, he punches like a boxer."

Check out Tom Aspinall's comments below (2:18):

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Ilia Topuria dismisses comparisons to Tom Aspinall vs. Jon Jones saga

Ilia Topuria doesn’t believe Islam Makhachev is deliberately avoiding a fight with him. He also dismissed comparisons to the former situation between Tom Aspinall and Jon Jones.

Jon Jones officially announced his retirement a few days ago, putting an end to the drama surrounding the heavyweight championship and allowing the division to move forward.

'El Matador' recently appeared on The Ariel Helwani Show, where he was asked if there were any similarities between the two situations. Topuria responded:

"Not at all. No, you can't even compare that situation. You can't compare Jon Jones with Islam [Makhachev]... I think he's doing his thing. I don't think he's ducking me, to be honest. I would be lying if I told you that he's ducking me."

He added:

"I think [Makhachev's] tired of the weight cut. He wants a new challenge. He moved to the welterweight division. He feels and he thinks that he has a chance to become a double champion, and I think that this is all he's trying to do."

Check out Ilia Topuria's comments below (1:19):