Ilia Topuria’s former opponent believes that if the stars align perfectly in his favor, “El Matador” has the potential to enter the greatest of all time (GOAT) discussion.
Last week, Topuria took a daring leap, vacating his UFC featherweight title to chase greatness in the lightweight division, with hopes of etching his name in history as a two-division champion.
UFC CEO Dana White revealed that the undefeated Spaniard chose to move up in weight, convinced that he had already conquered the featherweight division while also struggling with the ever-demanding cut to 145 pounds.
Though Topuria has long voiced his desire to challenge reigning UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, there is currently no official word on who his first opponent in the division will be.
However, Youssef Zalal, who suffered defeat against “El Matador” in their clash back in October 2020, believes that a showdown between Makhachev and Topuria is the fight to make — one in which he sees his former opponent having a real shot at victory.
“I’m gonna go with Ilia. I think I’ll stick with Ilia on this one,” Zalal said in a recent interview with Sportskeeda MMA.
“The Moroccan Devil” further suggested that if Ilia Topuria strategically utilizes his wrestling skills and somehow dethrones UFC’s pound-for-pound No. 1, Makhachev, he could carve out a legacy among the sport’s all-time greats.
“You beat Islam, you’re in the greatest (of all time) conversation. Like, you’re one of the [fighters in the] GOAT conversation. So to go do that…and I’m telling you, man, I feel like they’re sleeping on his wrestling and I think his attribute is that, obviously, his gas tank, they can say this and that, but also Islam’s gas tank is a little bit this and that. But man, [beating] Islam, bro…for me, that’s the greatest of all time.”
Topuria remains undefeated in his professional career, boasting a flawless 8-0 record in the UFC. He claimed the featherweight title with a dominant finish over Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 before solidifying his reign with another statement-making knockout against Max Holloway at UFC 308 last year.
