Islam Makhachev vs Ilia Topuria is seemingly one of the biggest fights that the UFC could ever make but fans may have to be patient in waiting for that fight to happen.
This past Saturday in the UFC 317 main event, Ilia Topuria became the 10th fighter in UFC history to win a title in two different weight classes when he knocked out Charles Oliveira in round one to become the new lightweight champion.
The title was left vacant after Islam Makhachev opted to give it up in pursuit of a welterweight title fight against Jack Della Maddalena, which is seemingly being targeted for the end of the year.
However, fans are still holding out hope that in the not so distant future, we will see a super fight between Topuria and Makhachev, in what would be one of the biggest UFC fights ever.
Demetrious Johnson shares Makhachev vs Topuria prediction
Following his win at UFC 317, Topuria unfortunately poured cold water on a potential fight against Makhachev, claiming that from previous conversations he’s had with the UFC, it won’t happen.
Despite that, the 28-year-old has set himself the goal of becoming the first fighter ever to win a title in three separate weight classes and has declared that the perfect scenario would be Makhachev winning the 170lb title, setting up for that clash.
“I would love to see Islam getting the title, and the UFC letting me go up to 170lbs and getting the third belt,” he told TMZ Sports.
Although a potential fight between the two likely wouldn’t happen until at least 2026, one of the greatest fighters of all time, Demetrious Johnson, has revealed how he thinks the fight would go.
“I think it would be Islam because I think Islam’s gonna approach it differently, it’s hard,” Johnson told Submission Radio.
“Islam’s a southpaw so he’s probably gonna throw body kicks and keep his arms busy and keep the distance. Move, feint, maybe use some Judo to take him down and try and get him to the ground and try to submit him.
“But once again, I have to see what Islam does to (Jack Della Maddalena) but I know the one factor is that Ilia is always gonna focus on getting to the right spot and fighting his opponents. When he gets there he’s gonna unload. If Ilia can’t get there then he’s gonna figure out another way,” Johnson continued.
Could Ilia Topuria end up retiring with one of the greatest legacies?
Despite the fact that he is only 28-years-old, there is an argument to be made that ‘El Matador’ could end up retiring with one of the greatest legacies in the sport.
So far, the Spaniard has scored KO wins over the likes of Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway, and now Oliveira, continuing to add legendary names to his resume.
And still undefeated at 17-0, Topuria continues to maintain his aura of invincibility and a few more wins will surely put him in the conversation as being one of the greatest fighters of all time.