UFC veteran Chael Sonnen weighs in on who the highest contender is for Ilia Topuria‘s Light-weight title, because the primary contender stays unclear within the aggressive panorama of the light-weight division.
“Justin Gaethje, Arman Tsarukyan, and Paddy the Baddy. What do all of them have in widespread? Effectively, a pair issues. All of them want to combat Ilia for the world championship. All of them would combat Islam. They’d all combat Charles Oliveira. They’d all combat for the vacant belt. They don’t have any beef with anyone on the high, whether or not that was Islam or at present is Ilia. Not related to the story. They need to combat for the belt.”
“Justin Gaethje has laid his case out to the purpose that he’s sticking—he’s digging in. The suitable reply for what ought to we do at 155 kilos, for any query, the opening evening, it’s this one dude’s debut—hey, it’s his retirement—hey, this man’s the best fighter ever—hey, it is a world title combat—hey, it is a primary contender—we’re in a bind, it’s final minute. What ought to we do? The suitable reply to any query at 155 kilos is Justin Gaethje. In the event you say that reply each single time, you’ll by no means get laughed at. You’ll by no means look dangerous. You gained’t even be improper.”
“I do know who it ought to be: Arman Tsarukyan. I do know why it’s not Arman Tsarukyan. And so do you. One thing occurred. Arman had the match—the day of weigh-ins, one thing occurred. We’ve by no means utterly been instructed what that was. However the scheduled, supplied, deliberate match didn’t go ahead. That’s when Mooney Munoz stepped in. And that places, like, a bizarre—not fairly punishment, however punishment-like—veil over Arman.”
With Ilia Topuria carrying an aura of invincibility that we haven’t seen since Conor McGregor in his prime, with the three choices all being attractive to followers, however the “dangerous man” is right in selecting Arman Tsarukyan.
No matter who he faces, Ilia Topuria will nonetheless be the favourite.
Ilia Topuria’s unimaginable rise within the UFC at a younger age is a feat that will probably be recorded within the historical past books of MMA. He nonetheless has a lot time to make an excellent larger legacy than he already has. And no matter whoever he faces, the world will probably be patiently ready for the younger Spanish Georgian legend’s subsequent transfer.
