Expected to make his return to action later this year in a title defense against rival, Max Holloway, incumbent undisputed featherweight champion, Ilia Topuria has been told he will fall the same fate as ex-bantamweight star, Cody Garbrandt, by another foe of his, Sean O’Malley.
Topuria, the current undisputed featherweight champion, has been hemming and hawing when he will make his return to action to take on the surging, Holloway in the first defense of his 145lbs crown amid links to a host of dates in the final quarter of this year.
First expected to headline a Utah showcase for a UFC 307 against former champion, Holloway, Topuria has quabbled with the Hawaiian on social media this week, claiming he will become the first fighter to KO the fan-favorite ex-gold holder when they eventually share the Octagon.
Furthermore, the Spaniard expressed his interest in featuring at UFC 308 a month later in a trip overseas to Abu Dhabi, in order to compete in a Spanish-friendly timezone, however, the promotion are expected to work on a lightweight title fight between Islam Makhachev, and Arman Tsarukyan on that card.
Ilia Topuria tipped to suffer huge downfall in UFC comeback
Receiving flak from the likes of arch-rival, Paddy Pimblett, and often-mooted opposition, O’Malley for apparently dragging heels on a fight with Holloway, the latter has claimed Ilia Topuria will suffer a similar fate to the above-mentioned, Garbrandt and drop vicious losses in his first title defenses.
“I tweeted, ‘How the f*ck is Ilia (Topuria) above me in the pound-for-pound? He’s five inches shorter and has less title defenses.’” Sean O’Malley said on his podcast. “Those are just facts, I wasn’t trying to be funny. I got a lot of hate for it. Buddy, I really could give a f*ck less where I’m at on the pound-for-pound.”
“Ilia is going to be the next Cody Garbrandt,” Sean O’Malley explained. “He won his nice little fight, he had his little Dominick Cruz, but he’s about to get pieced up by Max Holloway and then go downhill from there. Not really, I feel like Ilia is one of the most skilled guys in actually in the UFC – but f*ck Ilia.”
Do you agree with Sean O’Malley’s comments on the future of Ilia Topuria?