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Joe Rogan once marveled at the hand speed and impressive pad work that Ilia Topuria displayed during training. 'El Matador' secured the featherweight championship by knocking out Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 in February, and notably, four of his last six victories have come by knockout.
During an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience in August featuring American neuroscientist Andrew Huberman, the veteran UFC commentator analyzed a training video of Topuria hitting the mitts. Rogan was thoroughly impressed by the undefeated Spaniard's exceptional punching technique:
"One of the things that is phenomenal about him is his technique. His technique is perfect. There’s no fat in his technique. There’s no wasted movements, so when an opportunity presents itself, everything is so fast because the technique is so streamlined."
The 57-year-old famed podcaster further drew parallels between Topuria's hand speed and style and that of boxing legend Floyd Mayweather:
"Look at how he hits the pads, and when you watch how he hits pads, Mayweather is a great example of that, as well. Some of the best hands in the sport... See how he’s moving his head when the guy throws punches? Slipping just slightly? The speed, man. The f**king speed of that. Look at the hand speed. F**king incredible. If you know how difficult that is to do and do it that fast."
Check out Joe Rogan's comments below (59:40):
'El Matador' is preparing to defend his 145-pound title for the first time against Max Holloway in the main event of UFC 308, set to take place on Oct. 26 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Ilia Topuria dares Max Holloway to bring same striking prowess at UFC 308 he displayed against Justin Gaethje
During a recent interview with ESPN MMA, Ilia Topuria challenged Max Holloway to dive into intense striking exchanges right from the outset of their matchup at UFC 308.
The reigning UFC featherweight champion urged 'Blessed' to the same stand-and-bang ferocity he displayed in the final seconds of his UFC 300 bout against Justin Gaethje:
"I challenge you to have that exchange, but in the first 10 seconds of the fight. You will see what is going to happen. When you face a fighter like me inside the octagon, who brings that technique and power, you can’t do that. I’m going to take your head off in the first 10 seconds."
Check out Ilia Topuria's comments below (7:16):
