Islam Makhachev warned about Ilia Topuria being 5’7” ahead of potential super fight

UFC 155-pounder Arman Tsarukyan believes Islam Makhachev will have a hard time initiating leg takedowns against the short and rangy boxer Ilia Topuria.

Islam Makhachev warned about Ilia Topuria being 5’7” ahead of potential super fight

Short and crisp Ilia Topuria hard to take down for Islam Makhachev, per Arman Tsarukyan (Source: X/IMAGO)

Longtime reigning UFC 155-pound king Islam Makhachev defending his title against Ilia Topuria is the biggest super fight that could happen right now. Makhachev is the promotion’s No. 1 Pound-for-pound fighter with an all-around skillset.

Topuria had been a reckoning with unmatched battle confidence and standup, who does what he says he would. Many are veering either way, with a majority favoring Makhachev’s combat Sambo. However, Arman Tsarukyan would beg to differ.

Arman Tsarukyan is still the No. 1-ranked fighter in the UFC Athlete Listings and has major aspirations to work his way to another title crack. However, the Armenian welcomed Ilia Topuria’s addition and the starpower he brought to the lightweight ranks.

Speaking on the Schmozone Podcast (@theschmo312), he even supported Topuria’s standup game to be a good deterrent. Recently, he clarified how Makhachev’s wrestling-heavy game could be tough against such an opponent.

He is short…It would be hard for Islam to shoot for the legs. He is a hard hitter. He can knock Islam out at any moment…

Arman Tsarukyan during KC54 Post-fight media rounds in Dubai

Per BetOnline.ag Sportsbooks, Islam Makhachev was a bigger prop on the opening moneyline to keep his hardware. Ilia Topuria had propped a moderate +220 betting underdog for the matter. However, Club Climent has teased the former featherweight king’s grapples are all-new, all-improved, and unheralded, more so than his boxing. That, and continuously confident teases for an IFW festivity showcase fight at UFC 317 PPV card is amping up the bargain.

Many have iterated how Ilia Topuria has had a dense bone structure and enormous shot power. Some have also credited his Georgian ground skills to be underrated as of yet. These could be a good answer to Makhachev’s attempts to chain off singles and go heavy on everything after if he can’t grab his shorter frame. However, unlike Arman Tsarukyan, one name has considered Topuria on the shorter side of things.

Mateusz Gamrot considers Ilia Topuria too small a threat to current champ Islam Makhachev

Islam Makhachev is in a lose-lose condition if he faces or passes on a PPV title fight vs. one Ilia Topuria. This would be the nth current/former UFC competition 145-pounder he would have faced, and the weight bully claims won’t stop pouring in. Hence, the lightweight champ has been avoiding this hard-stakes fight.

UFC lightweight discredits Ilia Topuria as 'big' threat to Islam Makhachev
UFC lightweight discredits Ilia Topuria as ‘big’ threat to Islam Makhachev (Source: X)

The likes of head coach Khabib Nurmagomedov and others have billed Topuria as needing ranked lightweight ballot wins before a title shot. A 155-pound top contender scrapper vs. Charles Oliveira seems very likely.

While a Makhachev title fight seems far off from now, it did not stop MMA names from considering it or speculating on it. UFC #7-ranked contender Mateusz Gamrot considers ‘La Leyenda’ in a pool of trouble against the Pound-for-pound topper.

For me, interesting fight but I don’t know. Topuria is a small guy. Islam is a really big guy and I don’t think that Topuria has a chance against him, you know. If you want to fight with Islam, you have to be a big guy, similar like him, because he’s good everywhere but if your body is smaller than his, you don’t have a chance for sure.

Mateusz Gamrot to MMAJunkie

Ilia Topuria, an orthodox with 69″ reach, provided a very small frame of a target and made it tough for even the gritty Max Holloway. His subsequent win against Holloway’s pace at UFC 308 got compliments from even Dustin Poirier. However, Makhachev has done it all too, against boxers and submission specialists. So, only time will tell if Topuria will give him a tougher fighter despite the size disparity.

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