{"id":228336,"date":"2025-10-21T02:46:08","date_gmt":"2025-10-21T02:46:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/228336\/"},"modified":"2025-10-21T02:46:08","modified_gmt":"2025-10-21T02:46:08","slug":"javier-mendez-on-ilia-topuria-hes-got-the-best-boxing-in-mma-and-explains-why-youd-need-to-work-your-kicks-angles-with-him","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/228336\/","title":{"rendered":"Javier Mendez on Ilia Topuria: \u201cHe\u2019s Got The Best Boxing In MMA’ And Explains Why ‘You\u2019d Need To Work Your Kicks, Angles With Him’"},"content":{"rendered":"

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.<\/p>\n

American Kickboxing Academy head coach Javier Mendez recently offered an in-depth analysis of Topuria, emphasizing the Georgian fighter\u2019s striking as unmatched in the sport.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s got the best boxing in MMA,\u201d Mendez said during an interview on the Know Time YouTube channel. \u201cStay out of boxing range. He\u2019s got it so much that he even thinks he can beat [Terence] Crawford. That\u2019s how confident he is in his boxing. His boxing is good. His boxing is real good. Real good. So he\u2019s got the best boxing in MMA.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mendez stressed that Topuria\u2019s power and timing make him exceptionally dangerous on the feet, and opponents need to carefully plan their approach to avoid being overwhelmed early.<\/p>\n

Strategies to challenge Topuria in the cage<\/p>\n

Despite Topuria\u2019s dominance, Mendez outlined specific areas where challengers might test him.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019d need to work your kicks, angles with him,\u201d he explained. \u201cKnees. Muay Thai would be a good specialty. But your big task is to keep him away from you, and he\u2019s got decent wrestling. So he\u2019s also got, from people I\u2019ve spoken to that train with him, he\u2019s got decent jiu-jitsu also. So he\u2019s almost the complete package, but he\u2019s not. He lacks the kicking area.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also highlighted the importance of grappling exchanges and positional awareness.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo 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\u2019ve yet to see how great it is. It\u2019s not great, but we\u2019ve yet to see how good it really is.\u201d via MMAFighting<\/a><\/p>\n

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<\/a>, 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.<\/p>\n

Fans and analysts alike are curious about Topuria\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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> a topic of interest among fans.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Published on October 20, 2025 at 10:18 pm<\/p>\n

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