Ariel Helwani Suggests UFC Waiting on Belal Muhammad vs. Jack Della Maddalena Winner to Book Ilia Topuria

Ilia Topuria has declined to fight for a No.1 contender’s spot at 155 lbs. That only means the Spaniard’s only aim is to end up in the octagon with the lightweight champion, be it Islam Makhachev or someone else. But if that is an eventuality, why hasn’t the UFC worked toward it yet?

The UFC might be playing the long game here. They might not want to pit two of their biggest stars in a fight and lose the hype around one of them. The solution would be to push Islam to welterweight.

But Makhachev has made it clear that he has no intention of challenging for the 170 lbs title as long as Belal Muhammad holds the belt. And here lies the big dilemma.

Journalist Ariel Helwani believes the solution is straightforward but heavily reliant on a shakeup at the top of the welterweight division. A victory for Jack Della Maddalena over Belal at UFC 315 on May 10 should lead to a stirring up in both the lightweight and welterweight divisions.

“What’s the solution to that? JDM wins the belt and then you could do Islam vs. JDM and you could do Charles vs. Ilia,” Helwani suggested.

Could the UFC be waiting to see who wins Belal x JDM before booking Islam x Ilia?

If JDM wins, Islam moves up. Then we get Topuria x Oliveira for the belt at 155. pic.twitter.com/NM0vK9gI3g

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) February 24, 2025

However, the situation would remain complicated if Muhammad retains the title. Helwani is eager to see how the UFC handles this scenario, as it would force them to reconsider their matchmaking plans for both Topuria and Makhachev.

Of course, this could be solved if Topuria would just fight someone else for the No.1 contender spot. This would buy the UFC some time too.

But to be fair to Topuria, he’s just given up on a title that he’s won and defended against legends of the game. So why should he be the one to sacrifice?

Makhachev vs. Topuria seems imminent

While many believe Topuria has the skills to compete for gold right away, Makhachev and his team, including Khabib Nurmagomedov, argue that he must first prove himself against a top contender.

Arman Tsarukyan, currently within reaching distance of Islam’s gold, seemed like a logical opponent for Topuria. However, the Spaniard is not interested.

Ilia Topuria has refused to fight Arman Tsarukyan ❌

“Ilia wants a championship fight. He will not fight for the status of a contender with Tsarukyan or anyone else” a team member told Russian news agency TASS

via TASS pic.twitter.com/bfwDq0SCde

— ACD MMA (@acdmma_) February 24, 2025

Ilia’s stance is leading to a matchup impasse. Especially since Makhachev himself has reiterated that Topuria hasn’t done enough in the lightweight division to warrant a fight with him.

Now, that is indeed interesting since Islam is not known for dodging opponents. He fought Alexander Volkanovski twice, once on short notice and once with a full camp. And, if the UFC doesn’t allow Tsarukyan to fight him, there are not many contenders at 155 lbs to even offer him a competent challenge.

The two potentially good ones are Tsarukyan, who will need to have a title contender bout before a possible title shot. And Justin Gaethje’s challenge for gold will depend on his performance against Dan Hooker at UFC 313 on March 8. So neither fighter will be available for the better part of this year.

Meanwhile, Makahchev’s coach Javier Mendez has claimed that if the UFC wanted to make Islam vs Ilia, Team Khabib would not reject it. He is confident that given 2 months of preparation, his fighter can beat anyone who stands across him in the octagon.

So, a Makhachev vs. Topuria clash is bound to happen at some point. The UFC is possibly waiting, figuring out the right time to stage it and maximize its returns.