At UFC’s upcoming event in Florida, Ilia Topuria will headline the main event alongside Josh Emmett. The Georgia-born fighter has already established himself as a top prospect despite being less than three years into the promotion. This popularity could be attributed to his five straight wins secured during his short time at the promotion. All of this coming by way of stoppages, except his debut bout with Youssef Zalal.

What makes this run even more impressive is the list of opponents he has to go up against during this time frame. From the knockout of BJJ specialist Ryan Hall to the submission of a win over then-undefeated Bryce Michell, Topuria looked unstoppable. And if he is to be believed, this domination isn’t going to end anytime soon.

Ilia Topuria makes big predictions for his upcoming bout and beyond

In his latest interview with TMZSports, Ilia Topuria could be seen exerting confidence amidst his upcoming clash. During the conversation, the 26-year-old athlete predicted a stoppage victory for himself, in a similar fashion to his last three fights. If the former wrestler is to believe, he will knock Emmett out. This prediction came in response to the interviewers asking for his thoughts about the upcoming fight. Something which he considers necessary for his ambitions. In Topuria’s own words:

“I’m gonna put him to sleep. I’m gonna finish him, and after that, I’m the next guy, the fight for the championship belt. There is no one in front of me who deserves more than me fighting for that belt.”

Furthermore, he also expects to fight for the Featherweight belt next. In his opinion, nobody deserves the next shot at the 145lb UFC gold more than him. “El Matador” also claims to have the words of his managers for this opportunity. Topuria thinks the champion Alexander Volkanovski would meet the same fate as his previous opponents if he goes up against him next. This confidence, coupled with Topuria’s high-level performance, comes as a wake-up call for the division. It is noteworthy that the Spaniard is ranked fifth in the UFC’s official featherweight rankings. This is lower than his veteran rival, who is currently ranked fifth. But according to Topuria, this is just because the American has been around in the promotion longer than him.

Josh Emmett does not agree with Ilia Topuria

Unlike Ilia Topuria, Josh Emmett believes that the fight will end up in his favor. This is something he claimed during the interview with TMZSports as well. In support of this, the fighter gave the example of his previous opponents, calling himself a “gatekeeper.” He recalled his bouts with Calvin Kattar, Shane Burgos, and Mirsad Bektić. All of whom were rising prospects, just like Topuria at the time they faced Emmett in a losing effort. However, it’s notable that none of them were undefeated going up against him.

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Later on, the American also discussed his desire to capture the UFC gold for once in his life. For those unaware, he came close to fighting for the strap after a five-fight win streak. But in the title eliminator, he lost to Yair Rodriguez, thus losing the opportunity to become the UFC Featherweight champion. Despite this setback, Josh Emmett believes he would be able to bounce back and seize the opportunity once again.

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