Usman Nurmagomedov has no shortage of potential opponents now that he is a free agent. However, if given an opportunity, his manager believes Ilia Topuria is a fight he would happily take.
Ali Abdelaziz believes the matchup suits Nurmagomedov far better than most people think. While many fans see Topuria as one of the toughest tests available at lightweight, Abdelaziz views a style that plays directly into Nurmagomedov’s strengths.
He explained that Nurmagomedov has always looked comfortable against shorter opponents because of the way he uses his range. In a recent appearance on the Pound 4 Pound Show, he said:
“If I was a representative [of Topuria], I would retire before I take this matchup. Let me tell you why. Usman is very good with short guys, and he’s a very, very short guy. Knees, head kicks, teeps. Ilia throws… he throws no kicks. He has no offense with kicks. And Usman… he dips the same way Justin Gaethje dips. He doesn’t have the same power Justin Gaethje does. I don’t think anybody does. But I’m telling you, one of the easiest fights for Usman is Ilia. Not easy to be disrespectful. Style is style. Styles make fights. I think Ilia Topuria, under three rounds, Usman hit him with a lot of kicks, make him tired and stop him.”
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Check out Ali Abdelaziz’s comments below (18:30):
Demetrious Johnson urges UFC to do whatever it takes to sign Usman Nurmagomedov
Demetrious Johnson believes the UFC should waste no time in securing Usman Nurmagomedov’s signature now that the undefeated lightweight has entered free agency.
In a recent video on his YouTube channel while talking about Nurmagomedov’s dominant knockout win against Archie Colgan, the former UFC flyweight champion said the promotion should be willing to meet whatever financial demands are necessary to bring him over. Johnson feels Nurmagomedov has already proven himself outside the UFC and deserves the opportunity to test himself against the division’s biggest names:
“If I was Dana, I would pay Usman Nurmagomedov whatever the f*ck he wants to take him away from the PFL merger because you’re stealing a star from their organization. I like the position that Usman is in.”
He added:
“He’s beaten everybody over there, and if he is an athlete that wants to test himself against the best in the lightweight division, I think it would be sick to have him fight in the UFC lightweight division when you’ve got Justin Gaethje, Ilia Topuria… There are some good fights over there.”
Edited by Abhishek Nambiar