Ilia Topuria`s performances inside the octagon are undoubtedly impressive, but the mixed martial arts community, including lead UFC commentator Jon Anik, is truly astonished by the confidence and demeanor displayed by the new lightweight champion.
Topuria reportedly secured his second divisional title with a spectacular knockout of former champion Charles Oliveira in the main event of UFC 317 last Saturday. Anik provided commentary for the fight in Las Vegas alongside Joe Rogan and Daniel Cormier.
Throughout the build-up to the bout, Topuria acted as if victory was a certainty, even celebrating the title win the night before the event. Anik has been profoundly impressed by everything Topuria has brought to the sport.
“It is nuts, it’s like nothing I’ve seen before,” Anik stated. “I know sometimes I’m criticized for sounding extra hyperbolic, but calm, cool, collected doesn’t even begin to describe it. He is so matter of fact, as if the outcome is an eventuality against future Hall of Famers. I don`t really know that there’s a comparison.”
“Certainly, there are many parallels to draw with Conor McGregor, but even his post-win reaction is different; he doesn`t seem to have the urge to jump on the cage. It’s just crazy, and the celebration the night before… when an athlete says things like, ‘I’m just going to collect the belt and I won it in camp,’ you think, ‘Okay, but you still have to perform on fight night. You can’t fall flat on fight night.’”
“We used to say about Floyd Mayweather, 50-0 is 50-0, he was never off his game on fight night. You still have to go out there and execute. But with this guy, it is almost as if he bends time.”
Leading up to his claimed second title victory at UFC 317, Topuria put together a remarkable three-fight stretch, ranking among the best in UFC history. This included knocking out Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 in February 2024 to win the featherweight championship. Eight months later, “El Matador” became the first fighter ever to stop Max Holloway with strikes at UFC 308, before finally stopping Oliveira this past weekend.
The atmosphere in the arena following the knockout was intense. Phumi Nkuta, a current LFA flyweight who attended with Aljamain Sterling, shared that while the fan sections erupted, the fighter section remained notably subdued, even appearing stunned.
Anik wasn`t surprised by the reaction from Topuria`s fellow competitors.
“Just imagine being Islam Makhachev, Justin Gaethje, or Dustin Poirier, watching that unfold,” Anik mused. “Any fighter with recent history against Charles Oliveira from, say, 2019 onwards, and then you witness that, right? And don’t tell me this wasn’t a prime Charles Oliveira. I mean, if this were The Hunger Games, he’d still be leading the pack.”
“He’s still as eager as ever to compete. So consider how that felt for some of Ilia Topuria’s contemporaries watching, and I believe that explains why that section was stunned. Thankfully, as commentators, we couldn`t afford to be silent because we have a job to do, but I think for many fans, and myself, the feeling was, `Man, I`m not going to doubt anything this guy does.` I wasn’t favoring his chances at welterweight before this result, and now I`m thinking, `Goodness, I absolutely shouldn`t put anything past him.` … This Ilia Topuria, he’s truly one of a kind, and his peers are definitely taking notice.”
Naturally, a significant discussion point arising from UFC 317 is whether Topuria is now ranked above Islam Makhachev, the former lightweight champion who vacated his belt for a move to welterweight, in the pound-for-pound standings.
Anik understands the pound-for-pound conversation is subjective, but while many consider it a debate between two fighters, Anik believes a third contender is also in the mix.
“So it’s tough for Islam Makhachev to lose his number one spot without losing a fight, but isn`t it strange that currently, if you visit UFC.com, Islam Makhachev isn`t a champion anymore?” Anik elaborated. “What did that man do to no longer hold an undisputed UFC championship? It’s impossible to dispute what Ilia Topuria has accomplished. It’s very difficult to dispute what Merab Dvalishvili has done. And admittedly, Islam simply hasn’t competed as frequently as Merab, or perhaps even Ilia, in recent months.”
“But honestly, man, it’s splitting hairs. It’s a three-way race as far as I’m concerned, but if you focus just on Ilia and Merab, setting aside Makhachev – who has felt like my No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter for what seems like half a decade – they’ve both fully maximized their opportunities. They’ve made the most of their potential. If you prefer knockouts, then Topuria is likely your pick over Merab. But in terms of consistent dominance, Merab is right there.”
