Who’s next for Ilia Topuria after beating Charles Oliveira? | UFC 317
MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn plays matchmaker and looks ahead to what makes sense for Ilia Topuria.
Jorge Masvidal thinks it would be a bad idea for Justin Gaethje to step in the octagon with UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria.
Gaethje (26-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) is pushing hard to get the first crack at new 155-pound titleholder Topuria (17-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC), who captured the vacant belt at UFC 317 in June with a first-round knockout of Charles Oliveira.
There are several fighters who have thrown their name in the hat to challenge Topuria, from Gaethje to Arman Tsarukyan to Paddy Pimblett to BMF champ Max Holloway. “El Matador” recently told Nelk Boys that he thinks the UFC brass will push for Gaethje, and Masvidal thinks that’s a very, very ill-advised decision.
“Justin Gaethje, he gets mopped by Ilia,” Masvidal told CasinoHawks, who offer the latest online casinos. “Don’t do it, Gaethje. I know all the f*cking Bud Light-drinking Americans love Gaethje. But bro, you’re gonna get this guy f*cking slaughtered and concussed worse than before.
“He’s gonna leave there looking straight like Homer Simpson. I think that’s a bad fight for Gaethje.”
Masvidal, the inaugural UFC BMF champion from 2019, had admittedly not had much love for Gaethje, who knocked out his teammate and friend Dustin Poirier at UFC 291 in July 2023 to become the second BMF champ.
Any tension aside, though, Masvidal simply thinks that is not the more threatening matchup for Topuria. If he had his choice, it would be Tsarukyan (22-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC), who has been beefing with Topuria online and in interviews over the past several weeks, who gets the next shot at gold.
“I train a lot with Arman Tsarukyan, and I know his style,” Masvidal said. “I think he’ll give Ilia the best fight probably, because of his adaptability. And he can wrestle. He can strike well. Naturally bigger than Ilia. And they’re hovering around the same speed.
“They’re close in speed, where Ilia has a fast-forward button and makes all these guys look in slow-mo. My boy can keep up in the speed department. But I lean towards Ilia now.”
