Ilia Topuria stated he believes Ian Garry has a chance against Islam Makhachev, citing the fact that Makhachev has been knocked out in his career. The featherweight champion noted that in the fighting business, everyone has a chance, especially someone like Garry. Topuria emphasized that Garry has accumulated significant experience throughout his UFC career and sees him as having good odds in a potential matchup. The comments suggest Topuria views Garry as a legitimate threat to the lightweight champion. The post presented Topuria's assessment as unsurprising given his typical approach to analyzing matchups.
Featherweight champion Ilia Topuria has weighed in on the prospect of Ian Garry challenging lightweight king Islam Makhachev, expressing genuine belief that the welterweight contender would carry real danger into that fight.
Topuria, who holds a 17-1-0 record and sits at number one in the pound-for-pound rankings, pointed to Makhachev's knockout loss on his résumé as evidence that the Russian champion is not invincible. The 29-year-old Spaniard, who fights out of Climent Club, noted that in the fighting business everyone carries a legitimate chance, and that someone with Garry's accumulated UFC experience falls firmly into that category. Topuria assessed Garry as having good odds in a potential matchup with the champion.
Makhachev, 34, is the reigning welterweight champion out of Russia's Eagles MMA and carries a record of 28-1-0. He is the number-one ranked pound-for-pound fighter and brings an elite all-around game to the cage, averaging 3.2 takedowns per fifteen minutes and landing strikes at a 58 percent accuracy rate. His one career loss, the knockout Topuria specifically referenced, remains the single crack in an otherwise dominant resume.
Topuria himself is no stranger to finishing fights in spectacular fashion, averaging 4.81 significant strikes landed per minute — among the highest volumes in the sport.
Why it matters
- Topuria's endorsement of Garry adds credibility to a potential title challenge at lightweight
- Makhachev's sole career loss by knockout gives opponents a concrete blueprint to study
- A Garry-Makhachev matchup would carry significant divisional weight, with the champion's pound-for-pound status on the line
- Topuria's own position at number two in the lightweight divisional rankings makes his analysis of that division particularly relevant
