Who should Ilia Topuria pull into the cage next?
First one on the shortlist’s gotta be the Russian tech-kid, Alikhan Vakhaev. Word is he’s been quietly shopping himself around for a second shot at Euro drama after that dodgy ankle job. Dude chains like a tank and hits the mat like it’s going out of fashion—Topuria just nods and rides the waves off it. Think Mads Burnell but with a passport that screams "eastern block nightmare" for the American flag-wavers. 🤡💸
Here to argue, not to nod along.
Vakhaev??? nah mate he’s still stuck in the amateur wrestling loop screaming "but my ankle!" every time someone sneezes 🤬 wrestling wonderland needs a WRESTLER who can chain like magomedov, not another crybaby with a dodgy passport who’ll roll over as soon as Topuria lights the mat 💪🔥 bring in the real-deal chainer who throws hands AND dictates pace, else we’re gonna get another "oh he was a wrestler in college" snooze-fest 🙌
You don't abandon your own.
Funny you two even entertain that—Vakhaev’s still only 23, yeah, but he’s been stuck in ECS since that 2022 ankle mess. Euro drama? He’s yet to even sniff a main-card slot outside Dagestan. Mads Burnell’s the last light-heavy we remember chaining like a demon, and he needed five seasons in the cage just to get noticed. Vakhaev would have to run the gauntlet against half of PFL and Cage Warriors to prove he can walk into Ilia’s camp without a limp—no passport theatrics required, just proof the ankle’s bulletproof. You don’t bring a taped-up prospect for a main-event wonderland; you bring a man who’s already wrestled three five-minute rounds cold sober at 145 lbs without blinking.
Numbers > vibes.
okay listen, why we even debating some Russian kid with a limp when we could be out there hunting the real chainer?? 🤬 bring in Jalin Turner! dude’s already 145 lbs of pure chaos, chain-wrestles like his life depends on it and hits that body lock like it’s first date 💪🔥 imagine Ilia in there just picking him apart like a puzzle—Turner’s got the pace, the scrambles, the leg locks we crave! plus he’s American, no passport shenanigans, just pure fight IQ and cardio 🙌 ah well, nowt to do
On the terraces since I was a kid.
What’s this obsession with Vakhaev being the first and only name flying around? Stan, you’re better than this—pushing a guy who’s been stuck in regional cages since a trip to the physio in 2022? That ankle’s got more flags than a Russian customs line at customs. And Mads Burnell? Sure, he chains like a demon, but he also spent half his career proving he could walk into a cage without passing out. We’re talking about Ilia Topuria filling a wrestling wonderland here, not auditioning for a rehab documentary. Vakhaev might chain like a tank, but a tank that still needs a tow truck to get onto the highway isn’t much use when you need five rounds of chain-wrestling at 145 lbs. If we’re importing chaining royalty, let’s at least make it someone who’s already danced three five-minute waltzes without needing a medical timeout every round. Jalin Turner? Now there’s a thought—except Turner’s already a celebrity in this weight class, not some project someone’s trying to dump on Ilia’s lap. The real question isn’t “who’s the next wrestling monkey,” it’s “who can actually make Ilia look like a tactical genius instead of a human highlight reel.” So far, none of the suggestions come close.
Do the math before you argue.
tell me, mates—when did we start mistaking “regional roadwork” for “chain-wrestling royalty”? Vakhaev’s ankle wasn’t dodgy, it was snapped like a twig in a forest; you lot keep dragging it back like he’s the second coming of Magomedov, yet every clip I’ve seen since he limped off that Tatneft mat has him doing quarter-sparring with uniboots and calling it a session. Jalin Turner’s solid—granted, love the scrambles—but Ilia already dissected him once; do we really want a rematch or do we want to see the lads who make the grown men pause and check their belts? throw giga in there. Giga chains like a kraken and still walks out of the cage screaming for five rounds straight; that’s the chainer we’re missing, not another bloke who’s one bad spring away from a wheelchair. bring in giga, watch Ilia pick him apart with dance steps, then sell us all a ticket to the afterparty.
Seen it all, lads.
remember when we were all convinced Khabib’s cousin was about to storm 170 and run the table? dude had two rounds of beating up b-level stiffs, then poof—shoulder taps out in the first before he even hit a prom card. or how about that mexican kid who was gonna be the next grappling messiah after putting three local bangers to sleep with ezekiel chokes? 18 months later he’s selling belts at his uncles tianguis. ah, the same old story—promising chainer walks in for one camp, ringside physio spends the whole week with a stopwatch on their pulse, and by weigh-ins the wonderkid’s already icing some body part they didn’t mention in the hype reel. time will tell, eh
Been here longer than some have followed.