Matt Brown is amazed by Ilia Topuria’s potential. After Topuria’s knockout of Charles Oliveira at UFC 317 on June 28, 2025, the UFC veteran spoke on The Fighter vs. The Writer podcast, urging Topuria to face Arman Tsarukyan instead of Paddy Pimblett. Brown sees a Tsarukyan win as a huge step toward legendary status, comparing Topuria’s run to Jon Jones.
Brown’s Case for Tsarukyan
Brown thinks Topuria’s callout of Pimblett after UFC 317 misses the mark.
“It’s probably going to be Paddy but it should goddamn well be Arman,” he said. “We know that right? Of all the amazing things that Ilia has done so far, the fact that he called up Paddy, I’m not going to say he was ducking Arman, but he wanted that fight to be next. What I want to see personally, not saying this is the way everybody should feel, but I want to see him fight Arman. I think if he goes out and beats Arman, especially in a good fashion, but just beats him period, that to me is bigger than beating Charles, personally. I guess when you look at it that way in terms of the biggest fights but Paddy has not earned that. He just does not deserve to be there. Even other guys other than [Justin] Gaethje and Arman that deserve to be there.”
He sees Tsarukyan, who beat Oliveira at UFC 300, as the tougher test to cement Topuria’s legacy.
Topuria’s Rise
Topuria, 28, is 17-0 and the first undefeated two-division UFC champ. Born in Georgia and raised in Spain, he joined the UFC in 2020, going 9-0. He won the featherweight title by knocking out Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 in February 2024 and defended it against Max Holloway at UFC 308 in October 2024, becoming the first to knock out Holloway. He vacated the featherweight belt and knocked out Oliveira at UFC 317 with a right hook and left hand at 2:27 of round one to claim the lightweight title.
Brown compared Topuria to Jones.
“Ilia to me is on the verge of we start comparing him to like Jon Jones,” he said. “To me, if he goes out and beats an Arman or maybe Islam [Makhachev] moves back down or [Ilia] moves up if Islam wins or [he fights Jack] Della Maddalena, we’re starting to talk about Jon Jones level greatness. Start making comparisons, but if he goes out and beats a Paddy, he’ll go back and fight some of the tougher guys after that — not that Paddy’s not tough, I shouldn’t say that — but we know he’ll go back and fight some of those tougher matchups after that at some point. I just want to see it now.”
Why Tsarukyan Matters
Brown wants Topuria to face top competition.
“I want to see the run keep going,” he said. “That’s my biggest criticism of Jon Jones. He did eventually kind of taper off in terms of level of competition. I want to see Ilia go fight the baddest dudes and just see if he’s all that. If he can beat Arman next, that’s a pretty strong seal right there, especially I guess he probably won’t get the Islam fight depending on what happens with him and Della Maddalena. Outside of moving up to 170, Arman is the one that makes the most sense in terms of greatness.”
Tsarukyan, 22-3, is on a four-fight win streak, including a split decision over Oliveira at UFC 300.
Brown knows the UFC favors Topuria vs. Pimblett.
“It sounds like it’s probably going to be set with [Paddy Pimblett] and it’s going to be a gigantic fight,” he said. “I’m going to argue to the end it should be Arman. I want to see that fight. I think if Ilia goes out and beats Arman, it certainly adds to the argument that he is the greatest ever.” via MMAFighting
Topuria and Pimblett’s faceoff after UFC 317 points to that fight next, likely in Las Vegas. Topuria is open to facing Makhachev at welterweight if he beats Della Maddalena.
