Ilia Topuria recently added a lightweight title to his accolades by knocking out Charles Oliveira at UFC 317. This victory marked his third win over a former champion and placed him among a select group of fighters who have claimed championships in multiple weight classes.
Following his victory, Topuria mentioned potential opponents, including Arman Tsarukyan, but seemed to focus on his rivalry with Paddy Pimblett. Pimblett entered the cage for a confrontation that required security intervention after a shove. Given the animosity between them, Topuria`s initial lightweight title defense appears likely to be against Pimblett, a pairing that UFC veteran Matt Brown strongly opposes.
“It`s probably going to be Paddy but it should absolutely be Arman,” Brown stated on the latest episode of The Fighter vs. The Writer podcast. “We all know that, right? Despite all the amazing things Ilia has accomplished, the fact that he called out Paddy – I`m not saying he`s avoiding Arman, but he clearly wanted that fight next. Personally, I want to see him fight Arman. I believe if he goes out and defeats Arman, especially convincingly, but even just a win, that feels bigger than beating Charles, in my opinion.”
“While you might view it in terms of the biggest commercial fights, Paddy simply hasn`t earned this shot. He doesn`t deserve to be there. There are other fighters, like Justin Gaethje and Arman, who are much more deserving.”
Based purely on divisional merit, Tsarukyan is the most deserving contender. However, he reportedly fell out of favor with the UFC after a back injury caused him to withdraw from a scheduled fight against then-champion Islam Makhachev in January. Following that incident, UFC CEO Dana White stated Tsarukyan would need another victory to secure a title shot, but that was before Makhachev vacated the division and Topuria claimed the belt.
Regarding Pimblett, Brown acknowledges that the Liverpudlian attracts significant attention due to his star power. However, he argues that a win over Pimblett would not enhance Topuria`s standing nearly as much as a victory over Tsarukyan would.
In fact, Brown believes that if Topuria can overcome Tsarukyan in the same manner he dispatched Oliveira, Alexander Volkanovski, and Max Holloway in his previous three bouts, he should immediately be considered among the all-time greats in the sport.
“To me, Ilia is on the verge of being compared to someone like Jon Jones,” Brown commented. “In my view, if he steps up and beats an Arman, or perhaps Islam Makhachev moves back down, or Ilia moves up if Islam wins, or even fights Jack Della Maddalena – we start discussing Jon Jones level greatness. We can begin making those comparisons. But if he goes out and beats Paddy, he`ll likely have to face tougher opponents afterward – not that Paddy isn`t tough, I shouldn`t phrase it that way – but we know he`ll eventually need those tougher matchups. I just want to see it happen now.”
“The guy is right on the brink. I reviewed some of Jones`s record, comparing some of his three-fight stretches, acknowledging his undefeated career. I`m not sure you can compare those runs to what Ilia is doing now. Maybe with hindsight it`s clearer, but I don`t think Jones`s early runs were as impressive as the current streak Ilia is on.”
Brown points out that while Jones was phenomenal at his peak, he eventually cycled through the top competition and faced some opponents who arguably weren`t at his level. This was likely influenced by the relatively shallower talent pool in the light heavyweight division where Jones primarily competed.
The same cannot be said for the lightweight division, which has historically been one of the deepest and most competitive weight classes in MMA. Combining this with Topuria`s victories over two of the greatest featherweights of all time in his title contests at 145 pounds, he is starting to build a resume that, in some aspects, rivals even Jones`s.
“I want to see this run continue,” Brown asserted. “That`s my biggest critique of Jon Jones. He did eventually see a slight decline in the level of his competition. I want to see Ilia challenge the absolute toughest guys out there and prove how good he really is.”
“If he can defeat Arman next, that would be a significant statement, especially considering the Islam fight might not happen depending on Islam`s next move. Outside of potentially moving up to welterweight, facing Arman makes the most sense in terms of solidifying his greatness.”
Of course, Brown understands the business aspect of choosing Pimblett over Tsarukyan, as the former represents a much more lucrative fight with potentially less risk involved.
Despite this, Brown maintains his argument that Topuria should face Tsarukyan next because it is the fight that would contribute most significantly to the legacy he is building, with the potential to be remembered as one of the sport`s absolute best.
“It sounds like the fight is probably set with Paddy Pimblett, and it will be a massive event,” Brown concluded. “But I will argue until the end that it should be Arman. That`s the fight I want to see. I truly believe if Ilia goes out and beats Arman, it strongly supports the argument that he is the greatest ever.”
