Former UFC Champ Brutally Honest on Ilia Topuria: ‘That’s Not an Easy Fight'

Aljamain Sterling reckons Ilia Topuria is a tough night in the office for anybody.

The UFC featherweight division might have a new champion, but that doesn't mean it's any less difficult to take the throne. 

Reigning over the 145lb weight class since 2019, Alexander Volkanovski had his long title reign ended at UFC 298 over the weekend. Top-ranked Ilia Topuria went from undefeated to undisputed UFC Champion of the world with a second-round knockout of 'The Great' in the main event.

UFC 298 Results: Ilia Topuria Sleeps Alexander Volkanovski In Anaheim (VIDEO)

15-0 Topuria didn't leave much room for doubt with his title-winning performance following an utmost amount of confidence. Former UFC Bantamweight Champion Aljamain Sterling is left to wonder what the champ's kryptonite could be. 

"I think he could be champ for quite some time if he really wants to," Sterling said on his YouTube channel. "That's a hard style of fight. I mean, what do you do? Volk tried to kick his arms and try to get his arms tired, maybe try to break the forearms by him having to block heavy kicks. You got a guy like Yair Rodriguez, who's a good kicker. A guy like Sean Woodson who's super tall for the weight and does all this crazy stuff. 

"There's styles that make these fights and make them while they're as exciting as they are. I think that's what we're gonna have to wait and see."

It's unclear at this time whether or not Volkanovski will get an immediate rematch with Topuria. The Australian likely earned that right with a total of five title defenses, but perhaps it's a better idea to take some time off to recover from back-to-back KO losses.

If 'El Matador' is to lock horns with someone else in the meantime, Sterling is curious to see which featherweight contender can bring the new champion his best fight yet.

"A guy like Brian Ortega, who's got a hell of a chin, you know what I mean? So, there's a lot of good guys. Movsar Evloev, he doesn't really get hit too often, but we know he will decision the hell outta you.

"If he gets to his legs, what does that look like? But like I said, Ilia can actually wrestle. I don't even think Movsar would be able to [take him down] he struggled with Arnold Allen quite a bit. I think, to be fair, he struggled with him a little bit or had some resistance against a guy like this who actually knows how to wrestle and actually has really good jiu jitsu.

"It's a tough matchup for anybody," Sterling said of Topuria. "So, I think he could be a champ for quite some time."

Sterling could find himself standing across from Topuria someday. 'Funkmaster' moves to featherweight after three title defenses and a title loss to Sean O'Malley at bantamweight. The 34-year-old takes on #8-ranked Calvin Kattar at UFC 300.

UFC 299: Aljamain Sterling Suggests UFC 300 Sabotaged by Sean O'Malley Fight

A large enough splash in his divisional debut would land Sterling a spot in the top 10 and that much closer to a title shot vs. Topuria– which he doesn't expect to be easy, at all. 

"Even for me, like if I had the opportunity to fight him, say I finished Kattar and make a big statement. They want something new, something fresh. [If] the Brian Ortega Yair [Rodriguez] fight isn't that great. Maybe they throw me in there. I'm looking at it like I got my work cut out for me.

"Like that's not an easy fight," Sterling added. "That's just being as honest as it is.  I know I could punch, but it's not how hard you can hit, man. It's like sometimes you gotta be able to take that back. I think he does a good job with his defense. Even the punches that are landing, he doesn't really get hit too cleanly.

"I think a lot of people can watch him and take a lot of notes and see how he's able to take these little tiny steps, cut you off, take these fades and then unload his combinations and put these people away."

Out of 15 career opponents, nobody has been able to solve the puzzle of Spain's Ilia Topuria.

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