Merab Dvalishvili sees only one reasonable option for Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria: Fight now.
The UFC lightweight champion is in a waiting period right now, with a potential move up to welterweight if Makhachev’s friend Belal Muhammad loses his title, and Topuria waiting in the wings after recently vacating the featherweight title with the expectation he could receive an immediate 155-pound championship opportunity.
It’s a tangled web, but the answer is pretty simple to Dvalishvili.
“He’s saying he’s not a featherweight, he’s lightweight and he’s champion,” Dvalishvili said in a video uploaded by Fight Back Podcast. “Who you have—I know Islam is saying, ‘Oh, I don’t want to fight small guys.’ But Ilia is f*cking the biggest name.”
Makhachev’s reluctance to fight the undefeated Topuria also stems from the perception that several of Makhachev’s championship wins have come against 145ers, specifically Alexander Volkanovski, who Makhachev defeated in a pair of lightweight title bouts. Recent opponents Renato Moicano , Dustin Poirier, and Charles Oliveira have also previously fought at featherweight, though all three have been well-established at 155 pounds for years.
It’s unclear who Makhachev’s team views as an ideal opponent, though close friend and mentor Khabib Nurmagomedov has put forth Tsarukyan as the most compelling challenger. Dvalishvili is certain Makhachev would be an incredibly difficult test for Topuria (who shares Georgian heritage with Dvalishvili), but thinks it makes zero sense to have Topuria jump through another hoop for a fight everyone wants to see.
“He already beat Arman,” Dvalishvili said referring to Makhachev defeating Tsarukyan in 2019. “He beat Oliveira. He beat [Poirier]. … It’s not going to be an easy fight for Ilia, but that’s the fight to—Ilia’s my friend, I love him, but it’s going to be stupid if he fights Oliveira, if he loses to Oliveira.
“This is the superfight.”
