T.J. Dillashaw: Ilia Topuria best fighter in UFC, more skilled than Jon Jones

T.J. Dillashaw has a bold take on UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria.

Undefeated Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) is coming off back-to-back knockouts of featherweight greats Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 and Max Holloway at UFC 308 in title fights.

Dillashaw doesn’t just see Topuria as the best boxer in the UFC.

“I think Topuria’s the best fighter in the UFC right now,” Dillashaw said on the “JAXXON Podcast.”

Pound-for-pound over Jon Jones?

“I mean, not off of resume, no,” Dillashaw answered. “But off his skills, yes.”

Jones (28-1 MMA, 22-1 UFC) is currently ranked No. 2 in the UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings, whereas Topuria sits at No. 4. Dillashaw, a former two-time UFC bantamweight champion, was asked how he would have approached Topuria if the two were to ever have fought. He admits he’d have a hard time.

“It’d be a tough fight, dude,” Dillashaw said. “He’s a firecracker. I would have to use what I was hoping Holloway was going to do is use some more angles, right? Never stand in front of the guy. He’s fast, his boxing’s crisp. I would try to get outside his shoulders to try to switch my stances up.

“Fight him orthodox and southpaw. I would definitely be using my kicks a lot more. Yeah, he can block kicks, but it keeps him at a further distance, right, setting up my kicks. Yeah, I would definitely try to wrestle with him. I would say his striking’s more dangerous than his grappling, but his grappling’s great, as well.”

Topuria has recently teased a potential move up to lightweight, where he made one appearance at UFC Fight Night 204 in March 2022 – scoring a thunderous knockout of Jai Herbert.