Ilia Topuria is determined to fight Islam Makhachev for the UFC lightweight title. He believes that Makhachev`s team is trying to avoid this matchup.
Recently, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Makhachev`s friend and coach, argued that Arman Tsarukyan should be next in line for a title shot, not Topuria. While it seems Topuria moving up to lightweight to challenge Makhachev is likely after vacating his featherweight title, nothing is confirmed. Nurmagomedov would prefer Topuria to have another fight at 155 pounds before competing for the championship.
Topuria responded to Nurmagomedov`s remarks on social media, suggesting that Nurmagomedov is simply trying to protect his teammate.
“Khabib knows I`m the one who will take the belt from Islam,” Topuria stated. “That`s the only reason he doesn`t want Islam to fight me.”
Topuria has built significant momentum for a potential title fight against Makhachev. With a perfect 6-0 record in the UFC, including a previous lightweight fight against Jai Herbert, Topuria reached the top of the featherweight division. He defeated Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 and Max Holloway at UFC 308, both by knockout.
These victories against MMA legends made Topuria the first person to defeat Volkanovski at featherweight and the first to ever finish Holloway with strikes.
He might jump ahead of Tsarukyan in the title contender rankings. Tsarukyan missed his opportunity to fight Makhachev in January due to a back injury before UFC 311. Makhachev previously defeated Tsarukyan in his UFC debut in 2019. Since then, Tsarukyan went on a strong 9-1 run to earn a rematch. UFC CEO Dana White expressed his disappointment with Tsarukyan`s withdrawal, indicating he would need to work his way back to a title shot.
Makhachev`s future plans could depend on the outcome of the UFC 315 main event between welterweight champion Belal Muhammad and Jack Della Maddalena. Makhachev has often spoken about moving to welterweight to become a two-division champion, but his close friendship with Muhammad has been a barrier.
If Della Maddalena defeats Muhammad, Makhachev might move to welterweight and become the immediate top contender. This scenario could leave Topuria to face another prominent fighter at 155 pounds, possibly for an interim or vacant lightweight title.
