Eight months after winning the UFC featherweight title, Ilya Topria is still able to find a connection with the three weight division champions around him, not to mention being the most successful crossover star in the history of the sport. Ta.
On the plus side, Toplia's fellow Georgian and good friend Merab Dvalishvili won the bantamweight title just a month ago, capping a memorable sporting year for the small Eastern European republic.
No beef there. There's not even a hint of that.
The same cannot be said for new welterweight champion Belal Muhammad, lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, or the infamous Conor McGregor. Despite being out of action for over three years, they maintain a strong foothold in the modern mixed martial arts world.
That's not to say Topria (15-0, 13 finishes) isn't focused on his first defense of the 145-pound title against the great Max Holloway on Saturday at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. .
From Topria's perspective, it seems that he is absorbed in everyone's stories primarily because others are inviting him into their stories.
“They're all talking about me,” Topria told the Post recently via video call from Abu Dhabi. “Connor, he came to Spain.” [where I live and train] Because he knows that this sport is growing a lot in Spain. he [brought] his [Bare Knuckle FC] Because of what happened there, he talked a lot about me in the Spanish media. He mentions my name. Then I said something about moving up to lightweight, and Belal came out and he said something like, if you want a street fight, I'm going to street fight you. is. Something like that.
“Listen, kid, I'm not talking about you. I never said your name anywhere. Why are you talking about me? And now…” I’m going to slap you.” Who did you slap? Why are you going to slap me or let me slap you? I'll kill you as soon as I see you. I'll slap you in the face. Shut up, dude. ”
In Makhachev's case, the verbal sparring is still mostly over, but Topuria has made clear his desire to pursue big goals, like adding a second title at 155 pounds, just as McGregor did eight years ago. I'm doing it.
But if Topuria can't get the job done against former featherweight champion Holloway, any hopes of a superfight between the next two heaviest champions, or even a possible matchup with McGregor, will be scuppered. In the 2017-19 season, he faced Justin Gaethje at lightweight in April, potentially winning the knockout of the year, and also won the honorary BMF belt.
With 10 seconds left, Holloway pointed and called for both men to throw their hands to the center of the cage. Holloway-Gaethje's jaw hung wide and Gaethje, a natural entertainer, complied and threw his hands at the horn. I lost consciousness.
Observers noticed Topria's reaction, which could probably be read as stunned.
But the champion will only be “touched” by the finish and what it means to him.
“I was impressed and very happy at the same time, because after that knockout, my thought process was that I have a new challenger.'' “I have a new opponent,'' Topuria said. “Because if he didn't get the knockout, I didn't think he deserved a shot at the title,” he explains.
The remaining 24 minutes and the changes in the game have not been widely discussed, but many consider it to be one of the most entertaining games of the year.
Please don't rely on Topria's votes in that category.
“Justin Gaethje [fight] I don’t know, it was just a bar fight,” says a dismissive Topria. “and [Holloway] He was lucky to be knocked out. Because imagine if that fight ended without a knockout. what do you think? It was a normal battle. I wouldn't even mention Fight of the Year or Knockout of the Year or anything like that. You will not participate in such conversations. By no means, because it was a regular fight between two fighters. ”
Topuria believes Holloway (26-7, 14 finishes) saved his best for last, with the Georgia-Spanish dual citizen aiming to be one of the fastest and next time around. is daring his opponent to take his foot off the jump and swing until someone goes down. It will go down in UFC history.
Topria has great wrestling and ground skills in addition to the power-packed striking arsenal that knocked out Alexander Volkanovski for the title in February, ending one of the longest championship reigns in UFC history. Considering that we are proud of this fact, it is natural to ask the following questions: Putting an entire training camp and championship egg all into one ferocious, violent basket is a welcome plan for coaches.
Well, yes, says the champion.
“They love it because if Max stays in the middle and starts trading punches with me, they know I’m going to turn out his lights,” Topuria asserts. “They know me better than most because they see me every day in training sessions.”
Such promises in fighting games don't always come true
In some cases, gentlemen's agreements to continue the fight are ignored.
Sometimes, it's all a ruse from the beginning.
But if Topuria is selling wolf tickets, he is selling them with full assurance that this will be the case.
“One hundred percent, I do,” Topuria said. “I point to the ground and stay in the middle of the octagon. And if you want me to retreat at all, you have to go to war. And to this day, I am undefeated in all my wars.”
