Michael Bisping likes Ilia Topuria’s chances against fellow UFC champion Islam Makhachev.
UFC featherweight champion Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) wants to move up to challenge lightweight champion Makhachev (27-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC), who’s currently the promotion’s No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter.
Both fighters have recently produced dominant results over their division, and Bisping would love to see the fight happen. While he rates Makhachev highly, Bisping thinks Topuria’s well-rounded skillset could make it an interesting fight – despite the size discrepancy.
“That’s an incredible fight,” Bisping told Submission Radio. “Ilia Topuria, what he’s been able to do, what he’s achieved in such a short space – so impressed. The same with Islam. Islam is incredible. Nobody can sit here and criticize Islam. The fight style that he has, the way that he’s able to use his wrestling to such effectiveness. The striking is always improving and catching up.
“But on the flip side, Ilia is a smaller guy, though. So you take two guys with great skill sets, the bigger guy is always going to win. But if anyone could make that happen, it’s Ilia Topuria. The man said what he’s going to do right from the beginning, changed his bio to champion of the world. He’s knocked out (Alexander) Volkanovski. He’s knocked out Max Holloway. He’s knocking out everybody, and apparently he’s even better at wrestling than he is at boxing.”
Topuria is coming off back-to-back knockouts of Volkanovski and Max. Meanwhile, Makhachev quickly submitted Renato Moicano to notch a division-record fourth lightweight title defense at UFC 311 last month.
