UFC London: “El Matador” Goes to War
What makes a superstar, really? Is it the mystique of an undefeated, fancy record? An aura that oozes with charisma and confidence? A cerebral finishing instinct? Well, rather than ponder on the question, Georgia’s Ilia Topuria might very well be the answer.
For the most part, athletes start to flourish in their late 20s. However, Ilia Topuria is only 24-yers-old with limitless potential. And the UFC brass are starting to recognize it.
Inspired by the likes of Conor Mcgregor, Georges St Pierre and many other grates. Not only does Topuria crave and visualize their success, but he’s adamant that just like them, he wants to be thrown into the shark tank of featherweight elites as soon as possible.
Topuria made his UFC debut in fight island back in October 2020. Representing the Georgian and Spanish people on his back, Topuria debuted at just 23 years old against the savvy striker Youssef Zalal. Right out of the gate, Topuria had to answer more questions than ever. The pressure was on, and the gas tank was empty. However, Topuria still managed to secure the win.
That fight marked the only time in Topuria’s career where he went to the judges’ scorecards. That test was inevitable for the man they call “El Matador.” Aside from that fight, every single one of Ilia’s adversaries were finished in style.
Topuria was making noise on the regional scene as a phenomenal grappler, and rightfully so. The young Georgian standout has been grappling with elite black belts since his early teens, which is why seven out of his 10 finishes came by a variety of submissions.
That being said, when you watch Topuria move inside the octagon, you could tell that the man is in love with the sport of boxing. Digging to the body like a young Canelo Alvarez who happens to be one of Topuria’s biggest inspirations. Slowly but surely, it is starting to show…
After his successful debut, Topuria was matched against the durable veteran Damon Jackson. It took less than three minutes for Ilia to lay Jackson to sleep with a vicious body-head combination. Grappler no more. Topuria looked like an elite boxer with bad intentions. Need more than just one knockout to believe in the so-called “Grappler” power? He heard your wishes.
On the Poirier vs Mcgregor undercard, Topuria was matched up against arguably the most avoided man in the featherweight division(Ryan Hall). Hall was avoided for a reason. His style isn’t the most pleasing, but once he gets a hold of a limb, you better bet that he’s taking it home. Topuria knew he had to make a statement to prove that he’s one of the best, so he answered the test.
After out scrambling Hall for almost five minutes straight, Topuria slept him in the final ten seconds of the first. A statement was made, and Topuria demanded to fight someone in the top 15. The brass obliged.
“El Matador” was supposed to face 13th ranked Movsar Evloev on January 23rd. However, Evloev was forced to pull out due to contracting Covid-19. Topuria insisted that he wanted to compete in the city of Angeles, however, the weight Topuria’s weight cut was far from smooth, so instead of putting his risk in jeopardy, he decided to withdraw from the card.
Everything happens for a reason, and there’s a blessing in every lesson. This time, the blessing landed in the form of a Lightweight fight at the famous O2 Arena in the city where Royalty Lives, London. Topuria’s opponent is going to be the hometown hero for the night, fellow ferocious striker Jai Herbert.
The hype of “El Matador” is as real as it gets. So you better hop on the train before it’s too late. Topuria is here for a good time, not a long time. So, get your popcorn and drinks early this Saturday, because the fight isn’t going the distance.
Photos Credit: UFC/Zuffa/Getty Images
