No doubt, being at the top tier offers fighters huge opportunities, enabling them to choose their desired fights. From Conor McGregor to Israel Adesanya, numerous matchups suggested by fighters to Dana White have come to fruition. Similarly, after winning the title, Ilia Topuria is making significant call-outs to big superstars, from McGregor to Islam Makhachev and others. However, fellow featherweight fighter Movsar Evloev mocked him and suggested that he was ducking him by calling out other big names.
Evloev has remained undefeated and seems to be a significant threat in the featherweight division due to his well-rounded skill set. Having surpassed every opponent he’s faced, he’s a strong contender for the next title shot.
However, despite his impressive record and skills, Topuria seems to be overlooking him, focusing instead on calling out bigger names like Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov. So on X, he mocked him and stated;
“Conor, Islam, Khabib, Mayweather, Muhammad Ali, Messi… Who else do you want to fight rather than the only undefeated fighter in your division? @Topuriailia”
The 18-0 fighter sarcastically mentioned Lionel Messi and Muhammad Ali, hinting at Topuria’s ambitious call-outs. Topuria’s challenge to big names extends beyond MMA, as he even eyes a boxing match against Canelo Álvarez. Consequently, Evloev mocked him for literally calling out every big name in combat sports except him, who is possibly the ideal matchup for him.
Who should Ilia Topuria fight next ideally?
While Topuria has certainly risen to prominence, winning a title alone doesn’t give him global phenomenon status. However, he’s on track to potentially become the next McGregor of the industry. Yet, he still has much to prove. And for that, he needs to cement his status by focusing on ideal matchups rather than overly ambitious or dreamy ones.
With Alexander Volkanovski taking a long break after consecutive knockout losses, Topuria has some good options for his next bout. Depending on upcoming fights and outcomes, one big fight he could aim for is against Sean O’Malley. If ‘Suga’ retains the title in his next event, they could potentially fight for a double championship matchup.
With Islam Makhachev showing interest in a matchup against Topuria, there may be some time to wait as he is scheduled to fight Justin Gaethje next and then take a break. In the meantime, Topuria could aim for a bout against O’Malley, potentially alongside a matchup with Movsar Evloev.
