Ilia Topuria? The guy’s on fire, but not for the reasons you’d think. He’s not eyeing anyone in his featherweight division for his next bout. And yeah, that’s ruffling some feathers, especially Movsar Evloev’s.
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Topuria’s confidence? Sky-high. He was all talk and all action leading up to his clash with Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298. And boy, did he deliver. Knocked out “The Great” in Round 2. But then, he made it clear. Max Holloway, Yair Rodriguez, Brian Ortega? Not on his radar.
Post-fight, the man’s got ambitions. Called out Conor McGregor and even threw a jab at the retired lightweight champ, Khabib Nurmagomedov. On Twitter, he’s all, “Let’s dance in the Octagon, Khabib.” Says Khabib’s undefeated streak and legacy are just too tempting.
Oh, and he didn’t stop there. Took a dig at Islam Makhachev too, posting a clip of Makhachev’s sole defeat. Savage? Absolutely.
“Ilia Toouria taunts Islam Makhachev on Instagram 👀pic.twitter.com/jm78TMB6Iz” — MMA Mania tweeted. The drama, right?
Now, about Evloev. The guy’s also undefeated, but Topuria’s been dismissive. “Not title shot worthy,” he says. But Evloev’s clapback? Priceless. “Conor, Islam, Khabib, Mayweather, Muhammad Ali, Messi… Who’s next on your list instead of the only other undefeated guy in our division?”
Here’s the kicker. Both are unbeaten, but Topuria’s got 13 stoppages in 15 wins. Evloev? Zero finishes in his eight UFC bouts. Talk about a contrast.