Members of Islam Makhachev’s inner circle have differing views on the lightweight champ facing Ilia Topuria next.
UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria now share the same weight class after Topuria announced his move up a division. But Topuria’s path to an immediate title shot might not be as straight and narrow as the current featherweight champion might’ve projected.
Topuria will vacate the featherweight belt in favor of a lightweight title run once Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes enter the Octagon at UFC 314 in April. After defeating Max Holloway at UFC 308, Topuria announced a planned full-time move to 155lbs, despite only one featherweight title defense.
Despite fighting at lightweight just once in his UFC tenure, Topuria’s case for an immediate title shot was endorsed by Makhachev’s head coach Javier Mendez. But UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov countered Mendez’s endorsement by opining that Topuria needs to win at least one high-profile fight before making the case for a shot at the lightweight championship.
Islam Makhachev’s manager: Ilia Topuria needs ‘legit’ lightweight fight before title shot
In a recent post to X, Makhachev’s manager Rizvan Magomedov reacted to Topuria’s lightweight move.
“Topuria vs. Dustin/Charles contender fight, to prove he’s a legit lightweight. So we don’t have to defeat another ‘small featherweight,’” Magomedov said of Makhachev vs. Topuria. “We need big fights that make sense for everyone.
“We already gave chances to a featherweight champ that was reigning for a long time.”
Magomedov is referencing Makhachev’s two lightweight title defenses against Volkanovski, in which the lightweight champ retained the belt in both instances. Makhachev knocked out Volkanovski in a short-notice showdown at UFC 294.
Ilia Topuria’s two-division champ pursuit forced the UFC to add a new rule
Topuria’s title vacation came amidst the UFC’s new rule regarding two-weight championship pursuits. If a current UFC titleholder wants to fight for another belt, they’ll have to vacate their titles moving forward, eliminating the possibility of mimicking Conor McGregor and Daniel Cormier‘s ‘champ-champ’ pursuits.
After the recent UFC 314 and UFC 315 announcements, Makhachev could potentially make his next title defense at UFC 316, which is tentatively scheduled for June. Makhachev finished Renato Moicano at UFC 311 after a last-second opponent switchup following Arman Tsarukyan’s withdrawal due to injury.
Makhachev and Topuria have traded barbs in recent months as fight talks ramp up. Topuria says he plans to ‘make it look easy’ against the pound-for-pound king Makhachev.
While Makhachev vs. Topuria is reportedly in the works, there are differing views on the validity behind making the fight happen. But regardless, a Makhachev vs. Topuria superfight would be a dream matchup between two superstars in their primes.