Ilia Topuria could be the Michael Jordan of MMA, says Jorge Masvidal

UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria could be the Michael Jordan of MMA if his success continues, says Jorge Masvidal.

As we know, Ilia Topuria is on top of the world right now when it comes to his career. While his future is uncertain due to some personal issues he’s going through, nobody can deny the results he’s been producing when he’s been active in the cage.

RELATED: Jean Silva plans to train with Ilia Topuria to ‘break’ Alexander Volkanovski following UFC 325

Of course, there are plenty of fighters out there who want to get in there to face him, but Topuria will take his time and make his return when he’s ready. We can all see that he’s on an insanely positive trajectory but in order to reach that next level of superstardom, there’s a chance he will need to do something huge – like pursue an unbelievable third world title in the UFC.

In a recent interview, Jorge Masvidal gave his thoughts on Topuria’s potential.

Masvidal’s view on Topuria’s future

“No one’s ever won three belts, and as it stands right now, it’s a very uphill battle for Ilia to go to 170 and beat Makhachev,” Masvidal said on his “Death Row MMA” podcast. “If he does, you can’t argue that he’s not the Michael Jordan, that he’s not above everybody: Jon Jones, GSP, like you’ve got to put him in his own category of greatness, and nobody can say anything about it.

“You’ve just got to sit there and be like, ‘Yup, he did it, and that’s crazy.’ When you’re fighting Volkanovski in his prime and you end him, when you’re fighting Max Holloway in his prime and you end him, and then you go up and end Charles Oliveira, it’s like, damn, who is this mythological figure?

“Now you’re talking about he’s going to go to 170 and beat the No. 1 pound-for-pound guy in the whole sport that’s been holding it down for like four or five years, just crushing everybody. The biggest names he just crushes and takes them into a black hole and submits them.

“Ilia gets that done, you put that dude in his own place. Every head in this sport will turn, every fighter. No matter how much they dislike Ilia, yup, Ilia’s the damn truth because he’s the complete opposite fighter to beat a guy like Ilia is Makhachev. That’s the type of guy you need to beat Ilia, somebody who could just keep it on the mat because if you stand on the feet with this guy, your time is limited.”

Quotes via MMA Junkie

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