he highly-touted Ilia Topuria has arrived. Any doubts about the skill and talent possessed by the 14-0 featherweight were erased in his dominant display against Josh Emmett during the UFC Jacksonville main event.

After five rounds of one-sided striking, Topuria secured a unanimous decision victory with impressive scores of 50-44, a rare 50-42 and 49-45. Speaking after the bout, Topuria declared he was the next fighter in line for a title shot against current featherweight champion, Alexander Volkanovski.

Topuria’s boxing skills and poise were on full display during the 25-minute contest, as he comfortably outclassed Emmett with his superior striking ability. Despite Emmett’s early attempts to land a knockout blow, Topuria found his range early and consistently countered with punishing blows. Even when Emmett tried to rally, Topuria was always one step ahead, punishing him with well-timed shots.

By the end of round two, Topuria had Emmett badly hurt, but the latter held on, as the former attempted to secure a finish at the start of round three. Despite this, Emmett was never out of sight, with Topuria always just out of reach but close enough to deal damage. Topuria continued to increase his advantage into round four, with blood forming around Emmett’s left eye. A sneaky left hand followed by a clubbing right later sent Emmett retreating towards the end of the round.

Entering into the final round of the fight, Emmett still had hope for a comeback with his left hand loaded up, but Topuria would have none of it. He quickly used a takedown to subdue Emmett before cruising to an easy unanimous decision victory.

Topuria stated he was not surprised by the fight’s outcome, other than the fact that it lasted as long as it did. He had expected to put Emmett away early on, but gave thanks to his opponent for the energy he brought to the fight. Topuria’s record now stands at an impressive 6-0 in the UFC.

The win establishes Topuria as a front-runner for a featherweight title shot. With Alexander Volkanovski set to defend his championship against the interim titleholder, Yair Rodriguez, in the coming months, Topuria will undoubtedly be monitoring events closely.