Ilia Topuria has become one of the most feared competitors in MMA, quickly climbing the ranks with his precise striking, knockout power, and tactical awareness. Over the past few years, Topuria has built a reputation as a complete fighter, blending elite boxing with solid grappling skills, making him a difficult matchup for anyone in the featherweight or lightweight divisions.
American Kickboxing Academy head coach Javier Mendez recently offered an in-depth analysis of Topuria, emphasizing the Georgian fighter’s striking as unmatched in the sport.
“He’s got the best boxing in MMA,” Mendez said during an interview on the Know Time YouTube channel. “Stay out of boxing range. He’s got it so much that he even thinks he can beat [Terence] Crawford. That’s how confident he is in his boxing. His boxing is good. His boxing is real good. Real good. So he’s got the best boxing in MMA.”
Mendez stressed that Topuria’s power and timing make him exceptionally dangerous on the feet, and opponents need to carefully plan their approach to avoid being overwhelmed early.
Strategies to challenge Topuria in the cage
Despite Topuria’s dominance, Mendez outlined specific areas where challengers might test him.
“You’d need to work your kicks, angles with him,” he explained. “Knees. Muay Thai would be a good specialty. But your big task is to keep him away from you, and he’s got decent wrestling. So he’s also got, from people I’ve spoken to that train with him, he’s got decent jiu-jitsu also. So he’s almost the complete package, but he’s not. He lacks the kicking area.”
He also highlighted the importance of grappling exchanges and positional awareness.
“So the weakest link on him would be the kicking area. And then you have to test your grappling on him to see if yours is better than his. We’ve yet to see how great it is. It’s not great, but we’ve yet to see how good it really is.” via MMAFighting
Topuria has achieved significant milestones in recent years. Last year, he became the first fighter to stop Max Holloway with strikes, earning a decisive knockout in the featherweight division. Earlier this year, Topuria captured the vacant lightweight title by defeating Charles Oliveira, becoming the first undefeated fighter to win titles in multiple UFC weight classes. These accomplishments underscore why he is considered one of the most complete fighters in MMA today.
Fans and analysts alike are curious about Topuria’s next opponent. Mendez emphasized that while Topuria is nearly a complete fighter, challengers who focus on kicking, angles, and grappling tests may find openings to exploit. The combination of elite striking and solid ground game means that only a well-rounded and strategic fighter has a chance to compete effectively against him.
Topuria has not competed since his lightweight title win at UFC 317 in July, but rumors suggest he could defend his title early next year. Meanwhile, other contenders such as Islam Makhachev have also been pursuing second titles in their divisions, leaving the possibility of superfights involving Topuria a topic of interest among fans.
Published on October 20, 2025 at 10:18 pm
Stay up-to-date with the latest MMA news, rumors, and updates by following the RED Monster on
Facebook, Twitter,
YouTube, and Instagram. Also, don’t forget to add MiddleEasy to your Google News feed
for even more coverage.