Ilia Topuria has quickly established himself as a major star in the UFC, achieving impressive success to become a two-division champion.
At UFC 317, `El Matador` secured a title in a second weight class by claiming the vacant lightweight championship, having previously held and vacated the featherweight title.
Topuria`s victory, including a knockout over Charles Oliveira mentioned in the source, has sparked debate among fans about whether his current streak is one of the greatest in UFC history.
Although Topuria is currently ranked as the sport`s top pound-for-pound fighter, some observers feel he has already earned a place in discussions about the all-time greats.
His recent performance even drew comment from Conor McGregor, often considered the sport`s biggest star, who shared his views on Topuria`s victory.
Eddie Alvarez Ranks Ilia Topuria Just Above Conor McGregor in His List of UFC`s Two-Division Champions
In a recent interview with MMA Junkie`s Mike Bohn, former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez was asked to rank the top 10 fighters who have won titles in multiple weight classes.
Alvarez himself lost his lightweight title at UFC 205 when he was defeated by Conor McGregor, an event where the Irishman made history by becoming the first fighter to simultaneously hold titles in two weight divisions.
Despite McGregor`s historical achievement and impressive title-winning performances, Alvarez feels his former opponent lacks the necessary longevity to be ranked higher, placing him at number 8 on his list.
Explaining his criteria, Alvarez stated, “For me, I`m so time biased. To do great things, you`ve got to do them for a while. That`s real greatness and that`s a big part of my criteria… To me, that`s the true mark.”
In his ranking, Alvarez placed Ilia Topuria immediately ahead of McGregor, at number 7.
While expressing admiration for `El Matador` and acknowledging his spectacular recent performances, the former champion explained he couldn`t rank Topuria higher yet because his sustained success over a longer period remains to be seen.
Alvarez elaborated, “The list of guys he`s beaten, I mean these are all-time greats he`s beaten in a row but I just want to see more. I want to see a longer length of time, that`s all. I just want to see a few more years of being great and then we can mark him. He`s just so hard to mark right now, he`s just so brand new. I think some people, they`ll say number one because he just fought three days ago.”
Jon Jones Tops Eddie Alvarez`s List of Greatest UFC Two-Division Champions
The number one position on Eddie Alvarez`s ranking of the greatest UFC two-division champions went to Jon Jones, widely considered one of the greatest fighters of all time.
Although some might view Jones`s heavyweight run as less dominant, his overall longevity was a crucial factor for `The Underground King` in compiling his list.
As the youngest champion in UFC history and a fighter who has never officially lost a title inside the Octagon, Jones`s track record in terms of sustained high performance is undeniable.
Alvarez stated that he was able to set aside the controversies surrounding Jones when evaluating his unparalleled accomplishments in the cage.
He concluded about Jones, “Regardless of how him and me align as human beings, it doesn’t matter. If you’re great, you’re great… To do what he’s done against the greatest, to dispatch them the way he’s done and for the period of time he’s done it for, I think it’s not even to be argued.”
Jack Thornley