Outside Source
Current lightweight king Ilia Topuria claimed the vacant throne by punching out Charles Oliveira in June. This victory propelled Topuria into rarified air, as he secured a belt in a second weight class, something only a few athletes have done in the Octagon. While Topuria is Sherdog’s No. 1 Pound-for-Pound fighter on our rankings, count Carlos Prates among those that think his time will soon be up.
Speaking to Sherdog on Thursday, Prates guaranteed the current lightweight champion would have a hard time at featherweight against Jean Silva as well as at 155 pounds against Mauricio Ruffy.
Prates Expects Upcoming Dominance from Fighting Nerds Team
“I truly believe that both are bad matchups and have tools to beat Topuria,” Prates replied when asked the worst matchups currently available for Topuria. “Ruffy…Jean can beat him at featherweight too, but Jean brings emotion to the fight. Once Topuria is a great boxer, there is always a possibility of Jean gets excited and gets hit.”
While he sees possibilities for Silva to come up short, he expects fellow teammate Ruffy to be able to overcome the danger and put Topuria through the wringer.
“I don’t see that happening against Ruffy,” the welterweight said regarding his fellow striker. “The guy is extremely cold and never let the emotion dominate him. Looks like he is always aware and one step ahead. His simple presence in the Octagon bothers the opponent. I have trained with this guy since I was 17 years old and I know exactly what he is capable of. But I truly believe both Jean and him can beat Topuria in both weight divisions.”
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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