Dominick Cruz calls for Ilia Topuria vs. 'best actual fighter' at 155

Dominick Cruz is an advocate for stylistically compelling matchups over the biggest box office seller, so therefor he wants to see Ilia Topuria vs. Arman Tsarukyan next.

There are many questions who UFC lightweight champion Topuria (17-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) will put his belt on the line against first after knocking out Charles Oliveira to claim gold in June. Paddy Pimblett and Justin Gaethje have been part of the primary discussion, with Tsarukyan trailing after his misstep in January that saw him pull out of a title fight against then-champ Islam Makhachev on weigh-in day.

Tsarukyan (23-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) throttled him back to the forefront of the conversation this past Saturday, however, when he submitted Dan Hooker in the second round of the UFC Fight Night 265 main event in Qatar. It was a dominant performance, and served as a reminder that he shouldn't be ignored.

There might be more beef or mainstream appeal for Topuria vs. Pimblett (23-3 MMA, 7-0 UFC), but former UFC champion and current color commentator Cruz thinks "El Matador" against Tsarukyan is the best skill-for-skill pairing at 155 pounds.

"If we're talking about the best actual fighter in the division it would probably be Tsarukyan, for a style that could beat Topuria," Cruz told MMA Junkie. "If I look at the style that would have the best chance to beat Topuria, I would say it's Tsarukyan. But if we're going to talk about storyline, the gate, ticket sales, promotion. So it's either you're coming from an analytical standpoint or coming from the promoter standpoint, it would have to be Paddy. When I look at it from the analytical standpoint, it would have to be Tsarukyan."

Although Cruz said he didn't see much from the one-sided win from Tsarukyan that makes him think he's a vastly different fight from the one seen 19 months prior against Oliveira at UFC 300, he does see a true talent.

Both Tsarukyan, 29, and Topuria, 28, have very complete and effective styles, Cruz said, and he's compelled to see how a five-round championship contest between them would unfold.

"When your first base is grappling, and then you're as good of a striker as Topuria is, you're more of a complete fighter," Cruz said. "When you talk about Dan Hooker, we know they can't wrestle out in Australia. You just know it. I'm not saying Volkanovski can't. That's a guy that's shown in pretty strong. When you look at the history there's not a huge wrestling program in Australia. … Topuria had that first, that makes the fight different for Arman."

To hear more from Cruz, check out his complete appearance on "The Bohnfire" podcast with MMA Junkie senior reporter Mike Bohn above.

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Dominick Cruz calls for Ilia Topuria vs. 'best actual fighter' at 155