Ilia Topuria is right.
That was the sentiment of former three-time UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen who recently addressed the featherweight champion’s recent BMF title demands.
Following Max Holloway’s insane buzzer-beating knockout of Justin Gaethje to claim the bragging rights belt at UFC 300, ‘El Matador’ immediately acknowledged that ‘Blessed’ will almost certainly be his first title challenger. However, Topuria has one caveat before signing on the dotted line. He wants the BMF title to be up for grabs when they inevitably go toe-to-toe.
Holloway has since snapped back, suggesting that Topuria’s demands are very “un-BMF” like. However, ‘The American Gangster’ made a fairly compelling argument while addressing the situation on his YouTube channel.
“Ilia Topuria is 100 percent right! He’s right!” Sonnen said. “Here’s what’s happening. Topuria is telling Holloway, ‘First off, you don’t get credit at ’45 for something you did at ’55.’ He’s right. Topuria’s saying, ‘However, absent of you even going to ’55 and having that level of success, I do acknowledge that you were the guy down here at ’45… But it’s the 145-pound division.
“If you come down, I’ll put the belt up, but I’ve got a little more interest in the guy that won an equally as large of a fight, which by the way happened to be a main event, named Brian Ortega. You won a non-main event in a different weight class. I’ll honor it, though I could do Ortega, because Ortega doesn’t have anything to offer me but you do, which is the BMF belt.’ Topuria is completely right.
“Before any of you smart marks think you need to inform me that this is not how things are done and that they will get a phone call… I know. But, in the meanwhile, anybody that has a respect for themselves and their own career is gonna make any attempt that they can to influence that phone call when it comes.
“(That) is all Topuria is doing, and he’s right! … In our sport, anything you’ve got at all times (is on the line)… Before you roll your eyes and say, ‘Chael, all you’ve done is state the obvious,’ I’ve stated the obvious because that’s what you’re missing. This is what Ilia Topuria has told you three times now and you haven’t heard.”
Ilia Topuria Has Other Options Aside From Max Holloway
While the consensus clearly believes that Max Holloway should be the first man to challenge Ilia Topura for the 145-pound crown, there are options available for ‘El Matador,’ one of which being a rematch with a man he took the title from, Alexander Volkanovski. However, recent reports suggest that Topuria turned that fight down — something Topuria has downright denied doing.
Another option, as mentioned by Sonnen, is Brian Ortega. ‘T-City’ is coming off a big submission victory over former interim titleholder Yair Rodriguez in February. Ortega has come up short in two previous title bids, though he was the closest to finishing Volkanovski before ‘El Matador’ ultimately finished the job.
Watch the full episode below:
