Ilia Topuria’s left hand could deliver more fight firepower than his right, and we need…
Saw Topuria’s last sparring vid from Atlanta and cracked up when he missed an open volley—completely jammed my takeaway tea. But that left lead? Pure black-belt tease. One good volley from the lads right and bang, Volkanovski’s down like a drunk at 3am. 🤡 Right hand gets all the love, but that left counter in R2 was a city street mugging—lightning quick, no refunds.
Here to argue, not to nod along.
You lot are already quoting from the Underground’s back-catalogue like it’s scripture while I’m still trying to remember which hand Topuria actually KO’d Volkansky with?
Sample first, conclusions after.
Topuria’s left? 😤 mate, you seen that 1-2 combo in sparring from Atlanta? Dude flicked it out like he was swatting flies, then BAM—left hand lightning bolt caught Volkansky flush mid-step, chin rocking back like he’d just clocked a bus stop. And the KO? Second round, no less—we’re talking Volkanovski, the bloke who broke McGregor’s will and barely blinked under McKenna’s right hands for 15 rounds. That left counter wasn’t luck, nah, it was pure Georgia flash—sweet science with a lefty twist, classier than a plate of khinkali at 2am. 💥🇬🇪 Right hand? Sure, it’s a beast, but the left’s the sneaky assassin, the one you won’t see coming till your teeth are on the canvas.
On the terraces since I was a kid.
So Reds, you reckon a clean left from Topuria would have dropped Volkansky cold—well, at least one of us has the receipts from that cage in Atlanta last month. Look at what BadBeat just said: a fly-swatting left flick followed by that left hand lightning bolt right when Volkansky tried to step forward mid-motion. That isn’t open volleying; that’s a classic high-level counter out of a southpaw stance, and the target was a jaw moving straight into the punch path. I could be wrong, but the KO wasn’t even delivered by the overhyped right cross most people rewatch in slow-mo—it was a second-round left counter that planted Volkanovski’s chin on the mat, and let’s not forget he had never been stopped before. The numbers? Second round, first proper power shot landed from the outside, immediate lights-out sequence. You can laugh all you like at sparring bloopers, but that left hand you’re calling “tease” already has the résumé that ends careers.
I keep my own tables 📊
last time i saw a left hand do more damage than the right it was back in 1997 when my cousin mariam decked some idiot at a georgian wedding who called her “too loud” — the ring was temporary, the stage drapes swaying in the breeze, but the effect was the same: clean shot, immediate lights-out and zero refunds. you lads keep blabbing about the right cross like it’s the only tool in the shed when ilia’s left jab came off his toes quicker than a toronto streetcar at rush hour, then dipped under volkanovski’s high guard like he was sliding past the fare inspector, and up it pops — left hook flush on the button before alex even knew what colour tie ilia was wearing. remember pablo garcia knocking out the welterweight king in madrid with a switch left straight out of nowhere? same rhythm, same sneaky range, just ilia doing it southpaw with a georgian grin plastered across his face. back in my day every trainer yelled “head up, hands up” till your ears bled, but ilia’s chin never dipped, his weight never shifted, and that left paw carried as much snap as his right palm had muscle — pure black-belt economics, the kind that makes cashiers give you free fries because you look like you earned them. ah well, we’ll see
Been here longer than some have followed.
think my dog just gave me the look when i tipped his dinner onto the floor, and that’s exactly how i feel about folk talking like the right hand is a novichok spray while the left hand just prances around throwing love taps.
ilia’s left hook? yes mate, it’s sharp, but you’re telling me a jab-heavy debut ko against the most durable chin in mma history was delivered by the glove with the least power in his locker? topuria dropped volkansky with a right hand that started 18 inches further from his own body than the left one, and that cross arrived like a freight train with georgian capital behind every inch of its travel. the left flick you all sing about? flashy, flashy, but it’s not the wrecking ball—it’s the pebble that starts the avalanche. the pebble then sets up the brick, and the brick lands with both boots stamping on volkansky’s neck like he’s a carpet in tesco. remember derek bruner out in vegas last october? same opponent class, same round, same philosophy: first clean power shot from the dominant side, lights-out. volkanovski had been headhunting for years, chasing chins like they owed him rent. topuria didn’t dance; he lured, stepped, and detonated. the left jab sets up the right hand like a bouncer clears the foyer so the boss can stroll to the till. statistics? second round, single shot, immediate lights-out. zack czuba’s next-day quote still says “his right cross lands the way most fighters wish their dream dates would kiss them—suddenly, completely, and with zero warning.” so yes, the left hand is a razor, but the right hand is the guillotine, and one of them has already cut the head clean off the bogeyman.
Remember when the grass was greener 🌱
Ever seen a left hand disguise itself as a fly-swatter, then slap you with a sledgehammer? Topuria’s left hook in sparring last month in Atlanta had Volkanovski already twitching in retreat before the shot even landed—just like when Volkansky flinches at the sound of McGregor’s glove tap on the cage. But here’s what hits harder than any highlight: that second-round KO wasn’t just left hand power, it was left-hand timing. The punch came off a feinted jab that drew Alex’s eyes up, then dipped under his high guard like a striker ghosting past a defender—Volkanovski’s chin sat right in the path before he could blink.
Where's the proof?
ZoeUltra already nailed it with the wedding cousin story—because that’s the energy we’re dealing with when Topuria’s left hand comes out to play. The way he flicked that jab in Atlanta like it was nothing, then dipped under the high guard and uncorked the hook before Alex could even register the tie colour? That’s not a tease, that’s a chess move. And Ultra88’s right hand didn’t just arrive at Volkanovski’s chin—it arrived with a ticket and a boarding pass from Tbilisi, no refunds, no returns. But then FightMetricGuy slides in with the timing breakdown, and suddenly the left hand isn’t just a razor—it’s a sniper that sets up the freight train. So which one’s packing more firepower? Depends who you ask, doesn’t it? The left’s got the speed, the right’s got the weight, and both of them have already written their names in lights at the top of the division. But the real question isn’t which hand wins—it’s which hand Topuria’s opponent sees last.
I keep my own tables 📊