Ilia Topuria not solely enters UFC 308 Struggle Week because the undefeated and undisputed champion of the featherweight division however as one of many fastest-growing superstars within the UFC.
As followers countdown to what’s anticipated to be a ‘Struggle of the Yr’ contender in opposition to Max Holloway this coming weekend, we’re trying again at when ‘El Matador’ was nearly knocked out chilly simply 4 fights into his fledgling UFC profession.
Ilia Topuria survived scary knockdown to attain among the finest KOs of the yr
As quickly as Ilia Topuria entered the UFC again in 2020, followers knew all too effectively that ‘El Matador’ would go on to ship some severe injury within the featherweight division.
Nevertheless, it wasn’t till 2022 and a light-weight conflict with England’s personal Jai Herbert that we really understood simply how sturdy and harmful Topuria could possibly be within the octagon.
Solely 40 seconds into that scrap at UFC London, Herbert would throw a proper hand and simply as Topuria appeared to counter, was struck with a picture-perfect left excessive kick that spun his head and despatched him crashing to the canvas.
“That was enormous, how powerful is Topuria?!” screamed commentator John Gooden, with former light-weight contender Paul Felder noting in that second, Topuria realized the hazard of overlooking his opponent’s placing.
“That is a kind of instances the place you might need underestimated your opponent slightly bit, take a look at that headkick – I simply noticed the replay in our monitor – unbelievable, unbelievable kick to the pinnacle and credit score to Topuria for having the ability to eat that.”
Herbert was then capable of wobble Topuria all through the remainder of the primary spherical, even knocking out the Spanish-Georgian sensation’s mouthpiece a few occasions; nonetheless, it wouldn’t be lengthy earlier than Topuria received his revenge.
“That was the toughest [strike] I ever took in my expertise contained in the cage,” Topuria acknowledged in a later interview with CBS Sports activities’ Shakiel Mahjouri.
“I didn’t see that kick coming, you realize… I’ve to offer Jai his credit score, he hit me with a very good headkick and it’s not simple to attach [that] with me. He did a fantastic job, however I used to be reborn in that combat.”
‘Reborn’ he certainly was. Because the pair got here out for the second spherical, the O2 Area was anticipating Herbert to placed on the stress and begin the place he left off within the first – but nobody might have foreseen what got here subsequent.
With one of the brutal and exquisite one-punch knockouts in recent times, Ilia Topuria would flatline Herbert simply 60 seconds into the second spherical; a end that rightly earned him the $50,000 Efficiency of the Evening bonus.
“Oh, my phrase! Unbelievable knockout by Topuria – The O2 can’t imagine what’s simply occurred! Nicely, he flipped the script tonight,” said an astonished Gooden, with the complete enviornment eerily quiet after the flush KO.
“That’s why the chances don’t change when this man is within the octagon. Even when he has had a tough first spherical, he has received dynamite in his fingers, and also you speak about these Georgians; the toughness and sturdiness is unbelievable!”
Ilia Topuria would return to the octagon just some months later, choking out submission specialist Bryce Mitchell earlier than battering Josh Emmett in a dominant UD win to arrange the title combat with Alexander Volkanovski… And all of us bear in mind how that one went.
Can ‘El Matador’ cement his standing as one of the harmful strikers on the complete UFC roster with one other vicious knockout win?
UFC 308: Topuria vs Holloway goes down October 26 dwell from the Etihad Area within the UAE.
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