Jun 28, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Ilia Topuria (red gloves) prior to the fight against Charles Oliveira (blue gloves) during UFC 317 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

'Super happy for him': Ilia Topuria gets shoutout from dominant UFC champion

Originally posted on MMA on SI | By Zain Bando | Last updated Jul 31, 2025 7:30 AM ET

Ilia Topuria has been on quite a roll as of late. After knocking out Charles Oliveira at UFC 317 in June, Topuria has begun to receive massive praise from some of the UFC's best – and it could be the first public shoutout among many for the UFC Lightweight Champion.

Enter UFC Middleweight Champion Dricus du Plessis, who sat down with Betway South Africa to discuss a variety of topics, including Topuria, of course.

DDP Shares Personal Story About Topuria

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Du Plessis was highly compilmentary of Topuria, making a bold prediction for how the rest of his career may transpire.

“Unbeaten," du Plessis said. "He’s the first unbeaten guy to have two titles. I’m super happy for him and I rate him very highly as an all-around fighter, and obviously his striking, power, in knocking out three legends. I think he’s incredible and, in my opinion, one of the best, if not the best in the UFC right now.”

Du Plessis compared Topuria to himself, as the two shared the same card together in 2021 at UFC 264 in Las Vegas. Both were victorious, of course, with Topuria defeating Ryan Hall and du Plessis finishing Trevin Giles in back-to-back fights during the preliminary portion.

Ilia Topuria Draws Praise From DDP

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“He was literally in my changing room,” du Plessis said. "We were on the same trajectory, winning our titles one month apart. I’m super happy for him. I think he’s one of those special characters who’s going to be a Hall of Famer, no doubt."

Topuria awaits his next challenger, while du Plessis attempts to improve to 2-0 this year by beating Khamzat Chimaev in the UFC 319 main event.

Du Plessis is fresh off a decision win against Sean Strickland at UFC 312 in February, while Topuria vacated the UFC Featherweight Championship before his knockout against Oliveira.

It's safe to assume both share mutual respect for each other. In a sport largely dictated by controversy, it's refreshing to see.