Ilia Topuria and his team have had one of the greatest years in MMA history. That doesn’t mean they’re done chasing glory.
Following an impressive title defense at Saturday’s UFC 308 where Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) became the first person to knockout Max Holloway, his head coach Jorge Climent wants him to take another leap in his fighting career.
For Climent, this means going up a weight class and challenging UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, who’s considered by many as the pound-for-pound best.
“The fight that I think would put Ilia at the very top without any discussion that he’s the best fighter in the world would be against Islam Makhachev,” Climent told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “The fight is against Islam because at this moment he’s a defending champion. I know Ilia has only defended his belt once and that can make it difficult to get the opportunity, unless you’re a Conor (McGregor). So I do think they’re going to give it to (Alexander) Volkanovski (next).”
Climent sees Volkanovski as the next likely option for his pupil. But given the result of their first meeting back in February, he doesn’t see the former champ as the biggest challenge for Topuria.
Climent undoubtedly sees Makhachev as thee toughest test, but still with a clear path to victory.
“It’s our toughest fight,” Climent said. “However, after seeing how much success Volkanovski had against him the first fight, of course (we) see an opportunity. This is the toughest fight, without a doubt, but I like it.”
Many notable fighters called out Topuria following his historic title defense against Holloway, an indication to Climent that Topuria is quickly becoming one of the most important names in the sport.
“Paddy ‘The P*ssy’ made some comments. Dustin Poirier called him out. That means Ilia is doing big things because that only happens when you’re truly doing big things,” Climent said. “Everyone that wants a spotlight is calling him out, Conor and others. I still think the best fight is against (Makhachev) and the biggest money fight is against Conor, which I see a bit unlikely.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.
