P4P kingIslam Makhachevthinks Michael Morales is a way more dangerous striker than Ilia Topuria. Makhachev doesn’t consider the UFC lightweight champion to be a threat if the 29-year-old ever moves up to 170 pounds.
Makhachev is expected to make the first defense of his welterweight title post-Ramadan and is rumored to take on Ian Machado Garry. Garry recently visited Georgia to findsouthpawwrestlers who can help him dethrone the Russian.
Other than Garry, Morales, Kamaru Usman, and Carlos Prates are also in the mix and could emerge as the next welterweight title challenger.
Recently, in an interview with Ushatayka, Makhachev opined that Ilia Topuria’s superpowers may not be as effective at 170 pounds as they are at 155. The 34-year-old added that he considers Michael Morales the more dangerous puncher:
“I think Morales is way more dangerous as a puncher. He puts people to sleep with damn near every shot he lands. I don’t see Topuria being as dangerous at 170 as he is at 155 because the size is different, the weight is different, and the height is different. It will be much easier for welterweights to fight Topuria. I don’t see any danger from Topuria if he comes up to 170.”
Check out Islam Makhachev’s comments below:
Islam Makhachev says Morales is far more dangerous as a puncher and doesn’t see Topuria being a threat at 170.“I think Morales is way more dangerous as a puncher. He puts people to sleep with damn near every shot he lands. I don’t see Topuria being as dangerous at 170 as he is…pic.twitter.com/0gQLQgRXdr
Michael Morales (19-0) is currently riding a three-fight knockout streak, all in Round 1. In his most recent outing at UFC 322, heTKO’d top contenderSean Brady. The undefeated Ecuadorian now holds 14 knockout wins in his pro-MMA career.
Ilia Topuria, on the other hand, is also undefeated (17-0). In his last three fights, he knocked outCharles Oliveirain R1, became the first fighter to knock out Max Holloway, and, before that, finished Alexander Volkanovski in 2024.
During the same interview, Islam Makhachev also revealed that he won’t be fighting Ilia Topuria at the White House, as the latter has to faceJustin Gaethjeto unify the titles.
Source: LowKickMMA.com
