Ilia Topuria dodges Kamaru Usman's strikes in training, looks ready for UFC Fight Night clash against Josh Emmett
Ilia Topuria appears to be ready for his upcoming bout with Josh Emmett as he got some training in with former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.
Crash MMA posted a video of Topuria and Usman, which shows the surging featherweight contender dodging strikes and moving well on his feet. He looked comfortable as the former welterweight champion was throwing strikes and helping the No.9 featherweight in working on his combinations.
'El Matador' has excellent grappling, which was on full display in his most recent win over Bryce Mitchell this past December. Despite being known for his grappling, he has showcased that he is capable of holding his own with his striking.
Prior to his second-round submission win over Mitchell, the 26-year-old came into the bout with three consecutive wins via knockout. It will be interesting to see how he performs against a tough test in the featherweight division. But, training with 'The Nigerian Nightmare' will certainly boost his confidence.
Ilia Topuria has an unbeaten 13-0 MMA record and could be put himself in the title picture should he defeat Emmett this Saturday at UFC on ABC 5.
Sean O'Malley's coach says Ilia Topuria vs. Paddy Pimblett wouldn't be competitive
Sean O'Malley's coach and co-host of the TimboSugarShow, Tim Welch doesn't believe a fight between Ilia Topuria and Paddy Pimblett would be competitive.
In a video uploaded to the SeanOMalleyClips YouTube channel, the idea of a hypothetical bout between Topuria and Pimblett was brought up. The two competitors went back-and-forth during the UFC 282 press conference this past December, so this there is clearly animosity between them.
'El Matador' and 'The Baddy's respective careers are on different trajectories at the moment. Pimblett remains unranked in the lightweight division, while Topuria is currently the No.9 ranked featherweight and could be closing in on a title shot if he defeats Josh Emmett this Saturday.
Despite the two competing in different weight-divisions, Welch believes that 'El Matador' is too skilled and would get his hand raised, saying:
"Bro, that wouldn't be close. He's too sharp...He's too sharp on his feet."