One of the most anticipated fights of the year is sure to be what many expect as the next UFC featherweight title fixture.
For many years, Max Holloway has been considered to be the second-best 145-pound fighter on the planet as he wasn't able to solve the problem that is Alexander Volkanovski.
With new champion Ilia Topuria steamrolling his way up the featherweight ladder and taking Volkanovski out in February, his first title defense against "Blessed" is one of the best match-ups in MMA today.
A current featherweight contender believes that in giving Topuria the edge in this fight, he isn't just better than Holloway, he's one of the top two in the world today.
Nathaniel Wood Says Ilia Topuria Is In The Pound-For-Pound Conversation On Skill Alone
In a recent interview with InsideFighting, London's Nathaniel Wood spoke about the title fight that is set to go down in his division.
"The Prospect" is set to return at UFC 304 where he takes on Daniel Pineda after going 3-1 since making the move up from bantamweight.
He believes that whilst Holloway may have the best chance of anyone else in the mix, "El Matador" is the more skilled fighter overall.
See, I see Ilia Topuria as one of the pound-for-pound best at the moment. I think he's better than Max but I feel like Max could cause him problems with his style and Max is obviously as tough as they come. I do think out of that top 10, if anyone was to beat Topuria, I'd put it on Max Holloway.
Elaborating on his high praise for Topuria, Wood put this in context regarding the debate at the top of the pound-for-pound ladder.
He believes that whilst the current featherweight champion doesn't have the accolades just yet, his talent and performances prove that he belongs just below the greatest of all time, Jon Jones.
Gotta be Jon Jones, I don't see how anyone can ever go against him, obviously if you're going off of the CV. Now, Ilia Topuria, I think pound-for-pound one of the best just the way he moves. I think if you look at him on the CV, okay he's obviously just become the champion. Okay, how can you say he's the pound-for-pound but you just know when someone's special and me personally, I think he is.
"I've said before I think he'd be the hardest fight for me in the division when he wasn't even ranked I think in the top 10, because you can just see when someone's got that something. Obviously, Alex Pereira, he's just that knockout machine, you know what I mean but skill set wise, I think Topuria's a better fighter, better athlete all round.
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