Ilia Topuria makes BOLD prediction: “The award for the best knockout of the year in 2026 will also be mine”
After winning the UFC Honors award for Knockout of the Year 2025, Ilia Topuria has made another bold prediction.
Topuria’s first-round KO of Charles Oliveira at UFC 317 was chosen as the Knockout of the Year 2025 under the UFC Honors series.
Last year, ‘El Matador’ and ‘Do Bronxs’ fought for the vacant lightweight strap. The 28-year-old who had relinquished his featherweight throne back then for two-division glory had predicted that he would knock out the Brazilian cold in Round 1, and it materialized.
At UFC 317, after a brief grappling exchange, both fighters decided to stand and trade. When in the pocket, Topuria connected with a left hook. Oliveira attempted to fire back and compromised his guard. Within a second, Topuria countered with a crisp right hand and immediately followed with a left hook that was enough to send ‘Do Bronxs’ to the shadow realm.
Topuria plans to deliver similar highlight reel finishes in 2026, when he returns to fight the winner of the UFC 324 headliner. He posted on X:
“The award for the best knockout of the year in 2026 will also be mine 🌹”
Check out Ilia Topuria’s post below:
Before defeating Oliveira and capturing the vacant 155-pound throne, ‘El Matador’ faced Max Holloway and became the first man to knock out ‘Blessed.’ Before that, he also knocked out Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 to claim the UFC featherweight title.
Ilia Topuria believes he can knock out Arman Tsarukyan “Easy”
During a recent Q&A session on X, a fan asked Ilia Topuria if he could knock Arman Tsarukyan out. Topuria replied, calling it “easy.”
Check out Ilia Topuria’s reply below:
Topuria, however, has no intention of fighting the number one UFC lightweight contender.
Many fans and analysts believe Tsarukyan’s relentless, backpack-style wrestling could neutralize Topuria’s striking and possibly lead to an upset. That’s why some think ‘El Matador’ is hesitant to take the fight.
