UFC Tampa Winner Confident Of His Chances Against Ilia Topuria: ‘Carries Himself Like He’s Better Than He Is’

UFC featherweight Sean Woodson sees himself as a difficult matchup for champion Ilia Topuria. Woodson was one of the biggest winners to emerge from this past weekend’s year-ending UFC Fight Night in Tampa, where he stopped the highly touted Fernando Padilla with strikes seconds out from the first round coming to a close. The result […]

UFC featherweight Sean Woodson sees himself as a difficult matchup for champion Ilia Topuria.

Woodson was one of the biggest winners to emerge from this past weekend’s year-ending UFC Fight Night in Tampa, where he stopped the highly touted Fernando Padilla with strikes seconds out from the first round coming to a close.

The result has left “The Sniper” riding a four-fight win streak and unbeaten across his last seven — a run that has him tied with ranked standouts Movsar Evloev and Lerone Murphy for the longest active unbeaten streak in the featherweight division.

With that in mind, Woodson is looking to join them in the top 15 soon enough as he looks to surge all the way to the gold, which is currently held by the undefeated Topuria.

And should “El Matador” still be on the throne when he gets there, the Missouri native likes his chances.

During his post-fight press conference, Woodson expressed confidence when it comes to how he matches up against the Spaniard.

Given his height and frame, “The Sniper” insisted that he wouldn’t fall to the same fate against Topuria as both Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway did this year.

“(Topuria’s) super good – what he’s done so far is,” Woodson said. “But I’m not going to hold my tongue at all. I don’t feel like he’d be able to do me the way he’s done other people at all. He’s too small, too short. I’m a bad matchup for him. I saw online somebody say he gets up to like 187 (pounds), 190 (outside of camp). I don’t believe that at all. I don’t even get that big. He carries himself like he’s better than he is.

“I will say that I would love to fight him. I know I’m a long ways off from that, but I want that fight bad. I would love to fight him one day. I know it sounds crazy. I haven’t had the best (résumé). I ain’t fought (big names), whatever,” Woodson continued. “But I’m telling you right now, they do not do me like he’s done everybody.”

Woodson has plenty of work to do before having the opportunity to prove that assessment correct opposite Topuria inside the Octagon.

For now, he’ll be celebrating his latest triumph on MMA’s biggest stage and looking ahead to what he’ll no doubt hope will be a big 2025 in the career of “The Sniper.”