Michael Bisping Believes Islam Makhachev Won’t Fight Ilia Topuria to Avoid Being Seen as a Bully Who Beats Smaller Guys

Will Islam Makhachev take Ilia Topuria seriously and consider him a worthy title challenger? While some claim the fight is close to being finalized, former UFC champion Michael Bisping believes otherwise.

Islam had previously spoken about not wanting to fight contenders from lower-weight divisions. Islam’s first title defenses were against featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski. While Volk troubled him in the first fight, the rematch was an one-sided affair. This only added to the already prevailing perception of him being a weight bully.

Bisping said as much on his YouTube channel while explaining why despite public interest, Islam won’t be taking the Topuria fight. Explaining the role of public perception, he said, “He’s already done that twice, he’s fought Alexander Volkanovski, offered him the opportunity to become double champ two times in a row… If you’re a guy in the street that beats up a smaller dude, you are a bully. That’s not what you do.”

Meanwhile, Topuria’s ambitious move to lightweight is also under some serious criticism. While he is coming off an impressive victory over Max Holloway to defend his featherweight title, there’s a lot more to do at 145 lbs. He needs to be in a rematch with Volk and if he manages to defend the title there, there’s Diego Lopes and Movsar Evloev waiting in the ranks.

And even if Topuria manages to get past all these guys and make it to 155 pounds, he has to wait in line for Arman Tsarukyan, Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje to be done with their title campaigns.

This is another reason Islam’s hesitance makes sense. Topuria still has a lot to prove before he can take on arguably the greatest UFC lightweight champion of all time.

It also doesn’t help that Islam thinks Topuria only wants the 155 lbs title fight because he’s too lazy to cut down to 145 lbs.

Islam calls Topuria ‘too fat’ for featherweight

Following Islam’s win over Moicano and the celebration across his fanbase in the subsequent weeks, Topuria claimed that he could finish Islam however he wanted. And just four days ago, he discussed his own hypothetical fight with Islam, while reiterating the same points saying, “We all know at some point I will connect that punch, everything will depend on what God will decide… if he wants to send Islam to sleep or not. Who knows that. I know that.”

“I can also submit him”, he cheekily followed it up.

Makhachev has now addressed these claims about being dominated in a fight and brushed them off as self-belief rather than anything rooted in reality.

The lightweight champion also had some fun at Topuria’s expense and joked, “I heard that he has problems cutting weight, that he can no longer fit into the limit in his weight class… He’s probably already gained fat from the good life, and he already wants to leave that belt and move up.”

This is already shaping up to be an entertaining matchup; that is if it materializes. What do you think? Should Islam grant Ilia a title shot at 155 lbs?