UFC legend likens Ilia Topuria and Islam Makhachev debate to NBA greats LeBron James and Michael Jordan

A UFC Hall of Famer recently offered his thoughts on Ilia Topuria and Islam Makhachev's legacies inside the octagon, drawing comparisons between them and basketball legends Michael Jordan and LeBron James. The individual discussed a potential clash between the two MMA superstars, pointing out that Makhachev currently doesn't hold belts in two divisions, whereas Topuria does.

The promotion's lightweight division saw a new undisputed champion in Topuria, who became the 10th two-division champion by securing a vicious knockout win over Charles Oliveira at UFC 317 on Saturday. Notably, the 28-year-old was the first undefeated UFC fighter to achieve this feat.

In a recent video posted on his YouTube channel, MMA great Chael Sonnen compared Topuria and Makhachev to Jordan and James. Notably, because of their legendary basketball careers, both Americans have been in discussion regarding the greatest of all time (GOAT).

''The tightest [to defeat Islam Makhachev] is Ilia Topuria, and Islam is not a champion, that's a little bit of a problem if you're just having discussions. I hear these come out all the time, [Michael] Jordan and LeBron [James], used to be six rings versus none and now maybe LeBron's got a whole bunch of rings but I'm just sharing that used to be an argument that I would actually hear and right here, Islam is not a champion. Ilia just won his second belt.''

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Check out Chael Sonnen's comments below (7:09):

The Georgian-Spaniard initially vacated his featherweight throne to challenge Makhachev, making it a highly anticipated one for the MMA fans. However, the Dagestani fighter gave away his title and moved up to welterweight to challenge reigning champion Jack Della Maddalena.

Makhachev's welterweight move came after he made history with the most lightweight title defenses (4).

Chael Sonnen says Ilia Topuria should have had three belts

In his aforementioned YouTube video, Chael Sonnen said that Ilia Topuria's stardom would have skyrocketed if the promotion had allowed him to compete for the BMF belt against Max Holloway at UFC 308 last year.

''There was a mistake made, and the mistake was made to put Ilia in there with the reigning BMF champion and not to put up the belt. That son of a b*tch should have three belts right now and we’re having a totally different talk right now if he does. The marketing and the posters are totally different if we had that, but we gotta follow it to a tee. The belt’s either up or it’s not.'' [7:43]

About the author

Swagat is a dynamic MMA writer with a total experience of a little less than a year, which includes time in retail and sports journalism. He holds an MBA degree.

Swagat fell in love with the sport after watching the iconic grudge match between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier at UFC 182 in early 2015. Nate Diaz holds a special place in his heart for the Stockton native’s entertaining fan-friendly style and ability to deliver exciting fights regardless of the opponent.

In terms of rule changes in MMA, Swagat advocates for making scores public after each round, adding transparency to judging decisions.

Swagat prioritizes accuracy and relevance while writing and conducts thorough research to ensure the content is fresh and reliable.

He enjoys playing football and painting during his free time.

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Edited by Swagat Kumar Jena