At UFC 317, Ilia Topuria secured a significant victory, stopping Charles Oliveira to claim the vacant lightweight title. This win added a second championship to his collection, as he previously held the featherweight belt, having defeated legends like Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway. While celebrating this achievement, Topuria acknowledged the title`s vacancy, as former champion Islam Makhachev had moved up to the welterweight division. Topuria revealed that facing Makhachev was his original plan when he transitioned to lightweight.
“At some point I was a little bit sad because I didn’t want to fight against [Oliveira] since the beginning,” Topuria told TMZ Sports. “My real goal always was Islam, but since he decided to run away, it has to be Charles.”
Topuria believes Makhachev`s move was strategic to avoid him.
“Listen, I think that [Makhachev] took a great decision,” he continued. “If the UFC would offer him to fight against Justin Gaethje or another contender in the division, I think that he would stay at 155, but with me coming up, he was, like, ‘I don’t have to take this risk. I’m going to move up to 170, I’m going to try to get another belt’ and that’s all because he knows that I’m dangerous. He knows that I’m going to put him to sleep. The only reason they don’t want me to fight against him is because they know that I’m going to beat him.”
Previously, both Makhachev and his mentor Khabib Nurmagomedov had expressed reluctance to consider Topuria a worthy lightweight challenger due to his limited experience in the division. However, the landscape changed after Belal Muhammad, a close friend of Makhachev, lost the welterweight title. This opened the door for Makhachev`s move to 170 pounds and cleared the way for the Topuria vs. Oliveira matchup.
Despite Makhachev`s division change, Topuria hasn`t abandoned the idea of fighting him. If Makhachev defeats Della Maddalena, Topuria is open to moving up to welterweight himself for a chance at a third title.
“Ideally, I would love to see Islam getting the title and the UFC letting me go up to 170 and getting the third belt,” Topuria said.
Regardless of a future clash with Makhachev, Topuria`s recent performances have propelled him into the pound-for-pound discussion. He also believes his streak of victories constitutes the most impressive run in MMA history.
“I think so,” Topuria said. “Three legends. Alex Volkanovski, he was dominating the whole division. Max Holloway, another legend of the sport. And now Charles Oliveira. I think that it’s the greatest run.”
