UFC 293 winner Gabriel Miranda promises Ilia Topuria showdown will happen
SYDNEY – Gabriel Miranda has 17 finishes in 17 victories, but none bigger than his 59-second win over Shane Young at UFC 293 on Saturday.
On the preliminary card, Miranda (17-6 MMA, 1-1 UFC) picked up the ninth-fastest submission in UFC featherweight history when he put Young (13-8 MMA, 2-5 UFC) to sleep with a rear-naked choke.
The victory was his first in the promotion. While he will take his UFC stint one step at a time, Miranda is confident in his abilities. He’s so confident, in fact, he’s already visualizing a future fight vs. top contender Ilia Topuria, who is likely next in line for the UFC featherweight title.
“I have the same problem with another guy in another event, another promotion,” Miranda told MMA Junkie and other reporters with the assistance of an interpreter at a post-fight news conference. “We fought but a title fight. He came to UFC first, then I’m here. But I’m here one day and one day this fight will happen. Ilia Topuria. Ilia Topuria. I was supposed to fight him for BRAVE. Now, we’re back in the same promotion. Now, we’re on the way.”
Miranda, 33, has won three of his most recent four fights. His only defeat in the stretch was his short-notice UFC debut vs. Benoit Saint-Denis in September 2022.
Topuria, 26, is expected to challenge UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski, though no official announcement come yet. Undefeated as a pro, Topuria has defeated top contenders Bryce Mitchell and Josh Emmett in succession.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 293.