12 days ago

Beneil Dariush Says Ilia Topuria Belongs at Lightweight — Not Welterweight

“It’s a massive weight difference,” Dariush warned, arguing Topuria’s best chance vs. Makhachev is at lightweight, where he “would have put it 50-50” and even slightly favored Topuria because he “doesn’t have to cut a lot of weight.” Move it to welterweight, Dariush says, and the scale flips hard—Islam’s size advantage grows while his cut stays manageable.