Sean O’Malley is dishing out some high praise for Ilia Topuria.
The former UFC bantamweight champion recently called Topuria the world’s top pound-for-pound fighter, regardless of era, putting “El Matador” in the famed S-Tier (Google it, boomer) for his championship accomplishments across two separate weight classes.
Topuria (17-0) recently vacated his featherweight title to capture the crown at 155 pounds.
“Ilia Topuria is pound-for-pound the greatest fighter to ever walk the earth,“ O’Malley said on YouTube. “Greatest fighter, pound-for-pound, ever. Even over [Jon] Jones, I think. His last three fights, KOes. He KOes Volkanovski, KOes Max Holloway, KOes Charles Oliveira. He’s not beating these guys in a decision. He’s not taking them down and holding them down. He’s knocking them out.“
More importantly, he’s not “tarnishing” his legacy along the way.
Putting aside the pound-for-pound debate, there’s an argument that Topuria, 28, is not even the greatest fighter in his weight class. To date, “El Matador” has enjoyed style-friendly matchups and has yet to deal with a powerful wrestler like Arman Tsarukyan, who averages more than three takedowns per fight.
In addition, former champions like Jon Jones, Anderson Silva, and Demetrious Johnson — all worthy contenders for the title of best ever — have double-digit title defenses (Georges St-Pierre has nine), something that is often overlooked while celebrating the G.O.A.T. of the moment.
Simply put: Topuria has been otherworldly thus far, but may still have some work to do.