Will Ilia Topuria's power be effective at lightweight? Exploring 'La Leyenda's' chances against the likes of Islam Makhachev and Paddy Pimblett
Ilia Topuria vacated his featherweight title ahead of UFC 314, after which it was reclaimed by Alexander Volkanovski in the main event against Diego Lopes. The Spaniard did so in pursuit of lightweight championship glory.
While he has singled out Islam Makhachev, the division's champion as his sole target, there are other opponents that would make for sensible options. Namely, another fighter who was victorious at UFC 314: Paddy Pimblett. After all, the two men have a well-known rivalry.
So will his punching power translate at lightweight?
Ilia Topuria as a lightweight power-puncher
The short answer is yes, Ilia Topuria's punching power will indeed translate to the lightweight division. It needs no speculation, as he proved as much in a lightweight title fight with the towering Jai Herbert, who he knocked out cold in round two at UFC Fight Night 204.
Moreover, 'La Leyenda' did not prepare optimally for the bout, as he had replaced Mike Davis, who withdrew from the matchup for personal reasons. With time to bulk up to prepare a lightweight frame, his power could be even deadlier. In fact, he claimed it already is on episode #166 of the JRE MMA Show.
The question is whether Ilia Topuria can knock out Islam Makhachev and Paddy Pimblett. Again, in short, he can. The Dagestani wrestler is a well-rounded fighter, but his weakness has always been his boxing, and he bears the same fatal flaw that Alexander Volkanovski has: the one the Spaniard exploited at UFC 298.
Check out Ilia Topuria's knockout of Alexander Volkanovski:
Makhachev prefers to keep his boxing exchanges short and has an alarming tendency to retreat in a straight line when exiting exchanges. This is exactly what led to Topuria knocking Volkanovski out, and Makhachev doesn't have an especially great chin.
Even Volkanovski, who isn't particularly powerful, managed to drop him late in their UFC 284 encounter. If Topuria, whose entire goal is to back his opponent up to the fence to unload with combinations, can make Makhachev pay for that very same tendency, he can and would knock him out.
Then there's Pimblett, whose misguided belief that he can't be knocked out will be his undoing. Max Holloway was also impossible to knock out until he faced a fighter like Topuria, who succeeded where other heavy-handed punchers like Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, and Justin Gaethje all failed.
Check out Ilia Topuria's knockout of Max Holloway:
Pimblett doesn't move his head off the center-line when striking, keeps his hands low, and refuses to tuck his chin. The knockout might not come early, but against Topuria, it will.