Michael Chandler gives five-word assessment as he shares honest thoughts on UFC champ Ilia Topuria

Michael Chandler weighed in and shared his thoughts on reigning featherweight champion, Ilia Topuria after a user asked him for his opinion on the 145-pound king on X (formerly Twiter). Chandler, who suffered a defeat in his comeback match at UFC 309 after a two-year hiatus from the octagon against former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira in their rematch recently took to the social media platform and announced that he was open to answering any questions for 30 minutes.

One user asked for Chandler for his opinion on Topuria, to which he replied:

“Most effective striker in UFC.”

Check out Michel Chandler’s tweet below:

The Spaniard showcased his striking prowess in his most recent fight against former featherweight champion and current BMF titleholder Max Holloway in the main event of UFC 308. Leading up to the fight, Topuria claimed he would be the first man to knock Holloway out, and he did exactly that.

On the night, he defended his featherweight throne with a third round knockout over Holloway, who is known for his legendary chin and ability to absorb punishment.

Topuria previously claimed the featherweight strap by knocking out Alexander Volkanovski in the second round at UFC 298. Following his successful defense against Holloway, it remains unclear who his next opponent will be. Topuria has also expressed his desire to move up a weight class and fight Islam Makhachev for the lightweight title.

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Islam Makhachev expresses his desire to fight Ilia Topuria

Ilia Topuria and Islam Makhachev, along with Makhachev's Dagestani teammates, have been going back and forth on social media for months. Topuria has expressed his desire to fight Makhachev for the lightweight title, and has even claimed that he will be the first man to submit Makhachev.

In a clip shared by @Home_of_Fight on X, Makhachev opened up on a potential fight with featherweight champion Topuria, saying:

"[Topuria] is a champion, he has to talk. We'll definitely have some conversations with him. He talks about me all the time. He probably wants to get something across to me. Let's go out and talk. We'll fight if necessary." [translated from Russian]

Check out Islam Makhachev’s comments below: