Ilia Topuria is determined to fight for Islam Makhachev`s UFC lightweight title. He believes that Makhachev’s team is trying to avoid this matchup.
Recently, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Makhachev`s close friend and mentor, argued that Arman Tsarukyan should be next in line for a title shot, not Topuria. While it seems likely that Topuria, after vacating his featherweight title, will move up to challenge Makhachev, nothing is confirmed. Nurmagomedov would prefer to see Topuria compete and win again at 155 pounds before getting a title opportunity.
Topuria addressed Nurmagomedov`s remarks on social media, stating that Nurmagomedov is simply trying to shield his fighter from a difficult challenge.
“Khabib knows I’m the one who will take the belt from Islam,” Topuria posted. “That’s the only reason he doesn’t want Islam to fight me.”
Topuria has built significant momentum for a potential title fight with Makhachev. He has a perfect 6-0 UFC record, including a previous lightweight fight against Jai Herbert, where he recovered from early trouble to win by second-round knockout. His rise to the top of the division was solidified by a knockout victory over Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 and then another knockout against Max Holloway at UFC 308.
These wins against two MMA legends made Topuria the first person to defeat Volkanovski in the featherweight division and the first ever to finish Holloway with strikes.
He could potentially jump ahead of Tsarukyan in the title contender rankings. Tsarukyan missed his chance to fight Makhachev for the title in January. Makhachev previously defeated Tsarukyan in his UFC debut in 2019. Since then, Tsarukyan has gone 9-1 to earn a rematch. However, a back injury forced Tsarukyan to withdraw from UFC 311, disappointing UFC CEO Dana White, who indicated Tsarukyan would need to work his way back to a title shot.
Makhachev’s future plans might depend on the outcome of the UFC 315 main event between welterweight champion Belal Muhammad and Jack Della Maddalena. Makhachev has often expressed interest in moving to welterweight to become a two-division champion, but his close friendship with Muhammad has been a barrier.
If Della Maddalena were to defeat Muhammad, it could pave the way for Makhachev to move to welterweight and immediately become the top contender in that division. This scenario could leave Topuria to face another prominent fighter at 155 pounds, possibly for a vacant or interim lightweight title.
